donzella
English
Etymology
From Italian donzella,[1] from Old Occitan donçela, donsela, from Vulgar Latin *domnicella. Compare donzel. Doublet of damsel, demoiselle, and doncella.
Noun
donzella (plural donzellas)
References
- ^ “donzella”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Vulgar Latin *domnicella, diminutive of *domna, from Latin domina.
Pronunciation
Noun
donzella f (plural donzelles)
- maiden, damsel
- (botany) vinca
- Synonym: pervinca
- Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis)
- Synonyms: guiula, juliola, senyoreta
Further reading
- “donzella”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “donzella” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from Old Occitan donçela, donsela, from Vulgar Latin *domnicella, from Classical Latin domina (“mistress”), from domus (“house”), from Proto-Indo-European *dṓm, from root *dem- (“to build”). Doublet of damigella.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /donˈd͡zɛl.la/
- Rhymes: -ɛlla
- Hyphenation: don‧zèl‧la
Noun
donzella f (plural donzelle)
- (literary) maiden, damsel
- Synonyms: giovinetta, signorina
- name of several species of fish in the Labridae taxonomic family:
- Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis)
- Synonyms: (southern Italy) cazzo di re, garusa, girella, pesce donzella, zingarella
- Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis)
Related terms
Further reading
- donzella in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana