chatelaine
Aug. 4th, 2015 07:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordchatelaine (SHAT-l-eyn, shahtuh-LEN) - n., the mistress of a castle, château, or large fashionable household; a clasp worn by women at the waist for hanging keys, scissors, a watch, etc.; a women's lapel ornament resembling the waist clasp.
The castle part came first -- it's from French châtelaine, literally female castellan (or wife of a castellan), which in France also encompasses a château as well as what English calls a castle. The clasp at the waist was for the chatelaine to carry the necessities of her office, especially the keys to places that needed securing, adopted by the mistresses of other households and expanded to include other useful items. The lapel pin seems to date from the late 19th century -- maybe? I'm having trouble tracking the origin.
---L.
The castle part came first -- it's from French châtelaine, literally female castellan (or wife of a castellan), which in France also encompasses a château as well as what English calls a castle. The clasp at the waist was for the chatelaine to carry the necessities of her office, especially the keys to places that needed securing, adopted by the mistresses of other households and expanded to include other useful items. The lapel pin seems to date from the late 19th century -- maybe? I'm having trouble tracking the origin.
---L.
