chatelaine

UK: /ˈʃætəleɪn/ US: (shat′l ān′; Fr. shät^ə len′)

Inflections of 'chatelaine' (n): npl: chatelaines

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

chat•e•laine  (shat′l ān′; Fr. shät^ə len′), n., pl. chat•e•laines 

(shat′l ānz′; Fr. shät^ə len′). 
1. the mistress of a castle.
2. the mistress of an elegant or fashionable household.
3. a hooklike clasp or a chain for suspending keys, trinkets, scissors, a watch, etc., worn at the waist by women.
4. a woman's lapel ornament resembling this.

• French châtelaine. See chatelain
• 1835–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chatelaine / ˈʃætəˌleɪn ʃɑtlɛn/ noun

1. (esp formerly) the mistress of a castle or fashionable household
2. a chain or clasp worn at the waist by women in the 16th to the 19th centuries, with handkerchief, keys, etc, attached