doncella
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish doncella (“maid”). Doublet of damsel, demoiselle, and donzella.
Noun
doncella (plural doncellas)
- A fish of Florida and the West Indies (Halichoeres radiatus).
- A ladyfish (Bodianus rufus) of the same region.
References
- “doncella”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Spanish
Etymology
From a Vulgar Latin *domnicilla (compare Old Occitan donçela, Portuguese donzela, French demoiselle), based on Latin domina (“lady, mistress”). Doublet of damisela.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (most of Spain) /donˈθeʝa/ [d̪õn̟ˈθe.ʝa]
- IPA(key): (rural northern Spain) /donˈθeʎa/ [d̪õn̟ˈθe.ʎa]
- IPA(key): (most of Latin America) /donˈseʝa/ [d̪õnˈse.ʝa]
- IPA(key): (Andes Mountains) /donˈseʎa/ [d̪õnˈse.ʎa]
- IPA(key): (Buenos Aires and environs) /donˈseʃa/ [d̪õnˈse.ʃa]
- IPA(key): (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) /donˈseʒa/ [d̪õnˈse.ʒa]
- (most of Spain and Latin America) Rhymes: -eʝa
- (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains) Rhymes: -eʎa
- (Buenos Aires and environs) Rhymes: -eʃa
- (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay) Rhymes: -eʒa
- Syllabification: don‧ce‧lla
Noun
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
Further reading
- “doncella”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
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