demoiselle

Borrowed from French demoiselle. The bird is so called on account of the grace and symmetry of its form and movements.

demoiselle (plural demoiselles)

1. A damselfly of the family Calopterygidae.
2. A young lady; a damsel; a lady's maid.
3. The Numidian crane (Grus virgo).

• (damselfly): broad-winged damselfly

• damoiselle

From Old French damoisele, from Vulgar Latin *domnicella, diminutive of Latin domina. Compare Spanish doncella and damisela, Italian donzella and damigella.

• IPA^(key): /də.mwa.zɛl/

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demoiselle f (plural demoiselles)

1. damsel, maiden
2. miss
3. damselfly

• d^lle

• mademoiselle

• damoiseau

• “demoiselle” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).