'damsel' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'damoiselle' (also spelled 'demoiselle'), where the root ultimately comes from Late Latin 'dominicella' (a diminutive of 'domina') meaning 'little lady' or 'young lady'.

'damsel' changed from Old French 'damoiselle' and Anglo-Norman forms (such as 'dameselle') into Middle English forms like 'damsel' and eventually became the modern English word 'damsel'.

Initially, it meant 'little lady' or 'young lady'; over time it evolved to mean 'a young unmarried woman' and, in literary/traditional usage, came to often imply a woman in need of rescue.