soubrette

UK: /suːˈbrɛt/ US: (so̅o̅ bret′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sou•brette  (so̅o̅ bret′), n. 

1. Show Business a maidservant or lady's maid in a play, opera, or the like, esp. one displaying coquetry, pertness, and a tendency to engage in intrigue.
2. Show Business an actress playing such a role.
3. any lively or pert young woman.

• Latin superāre to be above
• Provencal soubreto, derivative of soubret affected, ultimately derivative of Old Provencal sobrar
• French: lady's maid
• 1745–55

sou•bret′tish, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

soubrette / suːˈbrɛt/ noun

1. a minor female role in comedy, often that of a pert lady's maid
2. any pert or flirtatious girl

Etymology: 18th Century: from French: maidservant, from Provençal soubreto, from soubret conceited, from soubra to exceed, from Latin superāre to surmount, from super above