chatelaine
cha·te·laine/ˈʃætəˌleɪn/noun
chatelaine is spelled C-H-A-T-E-L-A-I-N-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables (cha·te·laine). It appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 114,361st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, chatelaine means “The mistress of a castle or large household” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of chatelaine is chatelaines or châtelaines.
How many letters and syllables are in chatelaine?
| Letters | 10: C-H-A-T-E-L-A-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: cha·te·laine |
| In writing | about once in every 14 million words; the 114,361st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is chatelaine?
Chatelaine appears about once in every 14 million words in written English, the 114,361st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce chatelaine?
- UK /ˈʃætəleɪn/
- US /ˈʃætəˌleɪn/
- US [-ɾl̩-]
Chatelaine has 3 syllables, split cha·te·laine in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-chatelaine.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of chatelaine
- chatelaines plural
- châtelaine
- châtelaines plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does chatelaine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
datedThe mistress of a castle or large household.
- 2
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.
- 3
A similar thing in miniature attached to a watchchain.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of chatelaine.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Chatelaine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | châtelaine |
| German | Chatelaine |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does chatelaine come from?
] 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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).