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Damsel

1. A young person, either male or female, of noble or gentle extraction; as, damsel Pepin; damsel richard, prince of wales.

2. A young unmarried woman; a gerl; a maiden. With her train of damsels she was gone, in shady walks the scorching heat to shum. (Dryden) Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, . . . Goes by to towered Cameleot. (Tennyson)

3. An attachment to a millstone spindle for shaking the hoppe.

Origin: oe. Damosel, damesel, damisel, damsel, fr. OF. Damoisele, damisele, gentlewoman, f. Demoiselle young lady; cf. OF. Damoisel young nobleman, f. Damoiseau; fr. LL. Domicella, dominicella, fem, domicellus, dominicellus, masc, dim. Fr. L. Domina, dominus. See dame, and cf. Demoiselle, doncella.