chatelaine
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chatelaine
- /ˈʃætəleɪn/ UK
- /ˈʃætəˌleɪn/ US
- [-ɾl̩-] US
Where it comes from
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Borrowed from French châtelaine, the feminine form of châtelain (“castle-keeper, castellan; one living in a castle”), from Medieval Latin castellanus (“occupants of a castle”), from castellum (“castle, fort”) (diminutive of castrum (“castle, fort”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱes- (“to cut off, separate”)) + -ānus (“of or pertaining to”). By surface analysis, Old French chatel + French -aine.
noun chatelaines · châtelaine
- The mistress of a castle or large household. Gerard returned safely to his native land, and in the fantastic spirit of the times, he approached his own castle disguised as a pilgrim, intending to himself and his Chatelaine, the delight of a romantic surprise. […] He accordingly repaired, in the silent hour of midnight, when the castle was wrap
- A chain or clasp worn at the waist by women with handkerchief, keys, etc., attached, supposed to resemble the chain of keys once worn by medieval chatelaines. This elegant little appendage to the dress, large enough to contain a handkerchief and purse, is deserving of being as generally adopted in the United States as it has recently been in Paris. […] Both sides of the Chatelaine are embroidered alike. […] The hook attaches this Chatelaine to the wristba
- A similar thing in miniature attached to a watchchain. A French fashion is now busy investing the large body of French gentlemen with Chatelaines. These do not hang, as with English ladies, from the waist, but from the waistcoat pocket. They are generally attached to the watch—or, supposing the gentleman has no such useful appendage for killing time, th
Translations
Every language
noun mistress of a castle or large household
| Français | châtelaine |
|---|
noun chain or clasp worn at the waist by women
| Français | châtelaine |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Chatelaine |
| Русский | шатлен šatlen, шателен šatelen, шатленка šatlenka |
| Tiếng Việt | xà tích |
noun similar thing in miniature attached to a watchchain
| Français | châtelaine |
|---|
Talk about this word "chatelaine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/chatelaine. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. chatelaine. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/chatelaine "chatelaine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/chatelaine.Cite this
@misc{chatelaine_2026,
title = {chatelaine},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/chatelaine},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
