Where does “mademoiselle” come from?
Mademoiselle comes from French mademoiselle, from Old French damoisele, from Latin mea domina meaning "my lady," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots.
mademoiselle (English): Courtesy title for an unmarried woman in France...
Definitions
- Courtesy title for an unmarried woman in France...
Ancestry of “mademoiselle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | Mademoiselle | Miss |
| 2 | French | demoiselle | damsel, maiden; miss; damselfly |
| 3 | Old French | damoisele | girl; young lady |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | domnicella | weasel; little maiden; damsel, maiden |
| 5 | Latin | domina | lady or mistress of the house |
| 6 | Latin | Dominus | the Lord; Lord; The Lord |
| 7 | Latin | domus | house, home; any building or abode; native place,... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | domos | house, home |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dṓm | home; house |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dem- | to build; to arrange, to put together |