damsel

noun Literary.

a young woman or girl; a maiden, originally one of gentle or noble birth.

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English damisel < Anglo-French (Old French damoisele) < Vulgar Latin *dominicella, equivalent to Latin domin(a) lady (see dame) + -i- -i- + -cella feminine diminutive suffix

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World English Dictionary

damsel (ˈdæmz^əl)

—n
	archaic, poetic or a young unmarried woman; maiden

[C13: from Old French damoisele, from Vulgar Latin domnicella (unattested) young lady, from Latin domina mistress; see dame]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10

Damsel is always a great word to know.

So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

damsel

1199, from O.Fr. dameisele, modified by association with dame from earlier donsele, from Gallo-Romance *domnicella, dim. of L. domina "lady" (see dame). Archaic until revived by romantic poets, along with 16c.-17c. variant form damozel.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences

For hooking trout, the lures that seem to work here are any flies that resemble a dry damsel fly.

Many dragonflies and damsel flies inhabit the shallow warm water present.

It may not be wrong to describe democracy as a vulnerable damsel, needing constant protection of a watchful eye.

He helps a village full of delinquent unicorns, rescues an uncooperative damsel, and finds a husband for a princess.

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demoiselle distress donzel mademoiselle

Matching Quote

"A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid.
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight 'twould win me,
That with music loud and long,
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise."

-Samuel Taylor Coleridge

damsel

dam·sel