# chatelaine

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈʃætəleɪn/

## Definitions
1. The 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.

## Etymology
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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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/chatelaine