damsels

’ The wenches looked on him very earnestly, and did search with their eyes for the visage, which his ill-fashioned beaver did conceal; but when they heard themselves termed damsels, a thing so far from their profession, they could not contain their laughter, which was so loud, as Don Quixote waxed ashamed thereat; and therefore said to them: ‘Modesty is a comely ornament of the beautiful, and the excessive laughter that springs from a light occasion must be reputed great folly.

The First Part. II. Of the First Sally That Don Quixote Made to Seek Adventures 1909

And isn't the idea of damsels in distress kind of outmoded anyway?

Nothing Revolts 2010

The story, revolving around the tropical paradise of Lapuatu where giant, Godzilla-like monsters would roam freely if not for the heroics of Nate Klinger and his daring squad at the Monster Attack Network, offers up a solid mix of giant monsters, ridiculous action and drop-dead-sexy damsels -- in other words, a perfect recipe for what’s sure to be a hot summer movie!

Disney Options ‘Monster Attack Squad,’ And We’ve Got A Seven-Page Preview! 2008

I came to the top of the wall; lo! four damsels were there, who said to me, ‘Descend and welcome and joy to thee!’

The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

Meanwhile the old people just dropped away - the white-whiskered, gaitered, booted and bonneted, ancient-tongued last of their world, who thee'd and thou'd both man and beast, called young girls 'damsels', young boys 'squires', old men 'masters', the Squire himself 'He', and who remembered the Birdlip stagecoach.

Cider With Rosie Lee, Laurie 1959

But his mother remarked that he paid little attention to these, and his "No, I thank you," when it came to the preserved "damsels" as some call them, carried a pang with it to the maternal bosom.

The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 117, July, 1867. Various

There were two divisions of "damsels" in the household of a mediaeval princess, the _domicellae_ and the _domicellae camera_.

A Forgotten Hero Not for Him Emily Sarah Holt 1864

But his mother remarked that he paid little attention to these, and his, "No, I thank you," when it came to the preserved "damsels," as some call them, carried a pang with it to the maternal bosom.

Complete Project Gutenberg Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Works Oliver Wendell Holmes 1851

But his mother remarked that he paid little attention to these, and his, "No, I thank you," when it came to the preserved "damsels," as some call them, carried a pang with it to the maternal bosom.

The Guardian Angel Oliver Wendell Holmes 1851

Baghdad to the palace of the damsels is a year's journey, and this maketh up the seven years. "

Arabian nights. English Anonymous 1855