the.com/debutante
A young woman presented to society in a white dress, as if eligibility expires.
means A young woman, typically of upper-class background, formally introduced into society at a coming-out event, historically to signal she was now ready for courtship and marriage.
from From French débutante, the feminine form of débutant, 'one who is beginning' — rooted in débuter, 'to begin' or make a first move, a term borrowed from games like billiards where it meant going first. The word crossed into English in the 1700s-1800s attached to the ritual of the 'coming-out' ball, where the 'beginning' in question was a young woman's official entrance into marriageable society — her social debut, performed in white and under scrutiny.
- origin
- French for one who leads off
- the ball
- traditionally marked marriageable age, not achievement
- modern form
- mostly pageantry, scholarship funding, and curtsies
- the gown
- always white, symbolizing purity on parade