demoiselle

[dem-wuh-zel, dem-uh-; French duh-mwa-zel] /ˌdɛm wəˈzɛl, ˌdɛm ə-; French də mwaˈzɛl/
noun, plural demoiselles
[dem-wuh-zelz; French duh-mwa-zel] /ˌdɛm wəˈzɛlz; French də mwaˈzɛl/ (Show IPA)
1.
an unmarried girl or young woman.
2.
demoiselle crane.
3.
a damselfly, especially of the genus Agrion.
4.
damselfish.
5.
Furniture. a lady's wig stand of the 18th century, in the form of a pedestal table.
Origin
1760-70; < French; see damsel
British Dictionary definitions for demoiselle

demoiselle

/dəmwɑːˈzɛl/
noun
1.
Also called demoiselle crane, Numidian crane. a small crane, Anthropoides virgo, of central Asia, N Africa, and SE Europe, having grey plumage with long black breast feathers and white ear tufts
2.
a less common name for a damselfly
3.
another name for damselfish
4.
a literary word for damsel
Word Origin
C16: from French: young woman; see damsel
Word Origin and History for demoiselle
n.

1510s, from French demoiselle (Old French dameiselle); see damsel.

Encyclopedia Article for demoiselle

damselfish

any of about 250 species of small, primarily tropical marine fishes of the family Pomacentridae (order Perciformes) found in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans. Damselfishes are deep-bodied and usually have forked tails. They resemble the related cichlids, and, like them, have a single nostril on each side of the head. Many species are brilliantly coloured, often in shades of red, orange, yellow, or blue; most do not exceed a length of about 15 cm (6 inches)

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