doncella
English edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from Spanish doncella (“maid”). Doublet of damsel, demoiselle, and donzella.
Noun edit
doncella (plural doncellas)
- A fish of Florida and the West Indies (Halichoeres radiatus).
- A ladyfish (Bodianus rufus) of the same region.
References edit
- “doncella”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Spanish edit
Etymology edit
From a Vulgar Latin *domnicilla (compare Old Occitan donçela, Portuguese donzela, French demoiselle), based on Latin domina (“lady, mistress”). Doublet of damisela.
Pronunciation edit
- Syllabification: don‧ce‧lla
Noun edit
doncella f (plural doncellas)
- maid, maiden, damsel (girl or an unmarried young woman)
- abigail, lady's maid (female servant employed by an upper-class woman to attend to her personal needs)
- Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis)
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- “doncella”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014