Why “catherinette” is a great word
CATHERINETTE — [Noun] An unmarried woman over the age of twenty-five, particularly in France, traditionally celebrated on Saint Catherine’s Day. From the French *catherinette*, a diminutive of *Catherine*, the name of the patron saint, with the suffix *-ette* indicating a diminutive or associated female. Unlike “spinster,” which carries a static, pejorative weight of social failure, or “bachelorette,” a modern, celebratory term stripped of ritual, a *catherinette* is defined by a specific, poignant ambivalence. It is the elaborate yellow-and-green hat crafted for the parade, the gentle teasing from co-workers at the parish fête, and the hopeful yet fading prayer before the saint’s effigy—a communal pageant that transforms private suspense into a public, bittersweet marking of time, both festive and forlorn.