mademoiselle

See also: Mademoiselle

English

Alternative forms

• mamzelle

Etymology

Borrowed from French mademoiselle.

Noun

mademoiselle (plural mademoiselles or mesdemoiselles)

1. Courtesy title for an unmarried woman in France or a French-speaking country.
2. (humorous or affected) A young woman or girl, especially one who is French or French-speaking.
   • 1964, Chuck Berry (lyrics and music), “You Never Can Tell”:

     It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well / You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle...

Translations

courtesy title for an unmarried woman in France or a French-speaking country

• French: mademoiselle (fr) f
• Japanese: マドモアゼル (madomoazeru)
• Russian: мадемуазе́ль (ru) f (madɛmuazɛ́lʹ), мадмуазэ́ль f (madmuazɛ́lʹ)

Verb

mademoiselle (third-person singular simple present mademoiselles, present participle mademoiselling, simple past and past participle mademoiselled)

1. (rare, transitive) To address as “mademoiselle”.
   • 1840, Auguste de Lacroix, [unknown, transl.], “The Parisian Lady’s Maid”, in Pictures of the French: A Series of Literary and Graphic Delineations of French Character, London: W[illia]m S. Orr and Co., […], page 235:

     If not courted by some tall and handsome “Chasseur,” or some crafty little valet who “mademoiselles” her, she almost invariably condescends to notice favourably some dandified linendraper’s assistant, or sixth clerk in an attorney’s office, whom she met one holiday at the Chaumière or at the Ermitage.

   • 1843, Fredrika Bremer, “The Education of Women”, in [Mary Howitt], transl., The President’s Daughters. A Narrative of a Governess., Boston, Mass.: […] James Munroe and Company, […], page 57, column 1:

     “And if Edla should have a taste and inclination for a military life, would, Mademoiselle wish to made her a general? or, if she had a particular penchant for anatomy, an anatomical professor? Young ladies belong probably to the St. Simonians, and young ladies like these desire that everywhere in civil life the woman should have the same privileges as the man.” (The President always Mademoiselled me very much when he was displeased with me.)

   • 1853 September 17, Dwight’s Journal of Music: A Paper of Art and Literature, volume III, number 24, Boston, Mass., page 191, column 3:

     A lady, whom the bills—neither Missing, Madaming, nor Mademoiselling—entitled Adelaide Weinthal, appeared as Maffeo Orsini.

   • 1894 January, George du Maurier, “Trilby”, in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, volume LXXXVIII, number DXXIV, page 186, column 1:

     There were ladies too, en cheveux, in caps and bonnets, some of whom knew Trilby, and thee’d and thou’d with familiar affection, while others mademoiselle’d her with distant politeness, and were mademoiselle’d and madame’d back again.

   • 1899, L. McManus [Charlotte Elizabeth McManus], chapter II, in Lally of the Brigade: A Romance, Boston, Mass.: L[ouis] C[oues] Page and Company, pages 24 and 30:

     “Mademoiselle, let me mount you on my mare,” I said, “and while you ride on I will get your horse.” She gave a little gasp. “You must not mademoiselle me,” she exclaimed; […] “Mademoiselle,” I said, “it is imperative that we leave the high road. We are, I fear, pursued, and we must throw our pursuers off our track.” “I wish you would not mademoiselle me,” she pouted, dragging on the mare’s mouth.

   • 1971, Gael Greene, Bite: A New York Restaurant Strategy for Hedonists, Masochists, Selective Penny Pinchers and the Upwardly Mobile, New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., →ISBN, page 60:

     Pamela was not the least bit impressed by the chiaroscuro of attendants mademoiselling her.

   • 1987, Carol Thurston, Flair, London: Pan Books, published 1989, →ISBN, page 26:

     First you thought I was a French schoolgirl, and mademoiselled me all over the place, and tonight I look different from the ‘girl’ in chausses you met this afternoon.

   • 1998, Bud Egeland, A Matter of Time, New York, N.Y.: Vantage Press, Inc., →ISBN, page 86:

     “I don’t think so, mademoiselle. Irma will not like.” “Don’t mademoiselle me, Pierre, I know all about you guys.”

French

Alternative forms

• Mademoiselle
• mam’zelle, mamzelle, m’moiselle (informal)

Etymology

From ma +‎ demoiselle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mad.mwa.zɛl/

• Audio:

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Noun

mademoiselle f (plural mesdemoiselles)

1. (dated) Miss; A form of address or title for an unmarried woman
2. Miss; A form of address or title for a young woman, regardless of marital status
   1. (Quebec) Miss; as a form of address or title for a young girl

Usage notes

• Mademoiselle has been on the decline as a title for unmarried women since the 1970s, and its usage is restricted to addressing young women if their age is to be highlighted. In Quebec, this usage is restricted even further, only being used for young girls or women who want to be referred by it. Madame is used and preferred to refer to women regardless of marital status.
• After being regarded as sexist, mademoiselle has been banned or discouraged in official documents in the following French-speaking regions:
  • Switzerland since 1973
  • Quebec since 1976
  • The French Community of Belgium since December 13, 1993
  • France since February 21, 2012
  • Luxembourg since March 9, 2012
• The form madelle (a blend of madame and mademoiselle) has been suggested as a replacement, but never caught on. Instead, madame is used regardless of marital status.

Synonyms

• M^lle
• Mlle.

Derived terms

• croque-mademoiselle

Descendants

• → Alemannic German: Màmsel, Màmselala
• → English: mademoiselle, → mamzelle (from mamzelle)
• → German: Mamsell (from mamzelle)
• → Russian: мадемуазель (mademuazelʹ)
• → Turkish: matmazel

See also

• madame
• Mademoiselle
• mondamoiseau
• Ms.

Further reading

• “mademoiselle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.