Word
mademoiselle
Phoneticsmade·moi·selle
US/ˌmædəməˈzɛɫ/
UK/mˈædəməzˌɛl/
Definition
n. a polite way to address a young woman in French. It is similar to 'Miss' in English, but it is not used as much today as it was in the past.
n. a title of address for a young woman, equivalent to 'Miss' in English. Historically common in French-speaking cultures, though its usage has declined in modern contexts.
Examples
“The waiter greeted the customer as Mademoiselle.”
“In older French novels, characters are often addressed as Mademoiselle to indicate their social status and age.”
“While the term Mademoiselle is still recognized in formal French, it has largely been replaced by Madam or the more neutral Monsieur in contemporary professional settings.”
Examples
simple
“The waiter greeted the customer as Mademoiselle.”
contextual
“In older French novels, characters are often addressed as Mademoiselle to indicate their social status and age.”
complex
“While the term Mademoiselle is still recognized in formal French, it has largely been replaced by Madam or the more neutral Monsieur in contemporary professional settings.”
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French mademoiselle.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.