1802, French, literally "young girl," from jeune "young," from Latin juvenis (see young (adj.)).
"homely or unattractive woman, girl without beauty," attested by 1912, a rhyming formation from plain (adj.).
"young lady, girl," 1510s, from French demoiselle (Old French damoisele, dameisele, dameiselle); an unmodified form of damsel (q.v.).
"young girl," U.S. slang, c. 2002, from American Spanish chica "girl," fem. of chico "boy," noun use of adjective meaning "small" (here used as an affectionate term of address), from Latin ciccum, literally "chick-pea," figurative of a small thing or an object of little value (compare Old French chiche).
"young girl," 1670s, playful or diminutive form of miss (n.2), at first chiefly among servants.
"lewd, wanton woman" (mid-14c.); later "a giddy, romping girl;" of unknown origin; compare gig (n.1).
in reference to Egypt and other nearby regions, "dancing-girl, belly-dancer," 1814, perhaps from Arabic almah (fem. adjective), "learned, knowing," in reference to their training, from alama "to know." Or perhaps from a Semitic root meaning "girl" (source also of Hebrew alma "a young girl, a damsel"). Her occupation was performance to amuse company in wealthy private homes and to sing at funerals, with higher status than the ghawazee (dancing girls), but the word was used broadly in English.
"prissy person, prim girl, effeminate man," 1914, Southern U.S. colloquial, a back-formation from prissy (q.v.).
