ancelle
French, noun/ɑ̃.sɛl/
ancelle is spelled A-N-C-E-L-L-E (7 letters) and appears about once in every 10 million words in written French, the 105,879th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Ancelle is a French feminine noun meaning “a type of wooden shingle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Petite servante”.
What does ancelle mean in English?
noun
- 1
feminineobsoletefemale servant
noun
- 1
femininea type of wooden shingle
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Petite servante. 2. Se disait en parlant de la Sainte Vierge, qui elle-même s’appliqua le mot de servante, quand l’ange lui annonça qu’elle deviendrait mère du Sauveur (Ecce Ancilla Domini).
noun: 1. Bardeau de bois.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of ancelle
- ancelles plural
- ancille alternative
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce ancelle?
- /ɑ̃.sɛl/
- \ɑ̃.sɛl\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
How common is ancelle in French?
ancelle appears about once in every 10 million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).