Need a new word--Creative types?

[astuffedshirt_perv]

Princeling is to prince as ???? is to princess

Princeling n.
A prince judged to be of minor status or importance.

What word would you use for princesses? I'm using the word Queenlettes now, but am hoping someone can come up with something better.

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"The heated act of sex often expunges judgment, pushing the participants into territory they hadn't previously contemplated. " -Natasha Vargas-Cooper

 

[Handley_Page]

Princeling is to prince as ???? is to princess

Princeling n.
A prince judged to be of minor status or importance.

What word would you use for princesses? I'm using the word Queenlettes now, but am hoping someone can come up with something better.

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I'd suggest 'Princelette'
It's a feminine end to the wrong word, but I do not thin you can use
Queenlettes
as it's the wrong ending and it sounds daft.

 

[ZoZa]

Princeling is fine as a gender-neutral word.

Admittedly, used in a vacuum, it implies a man, but context will easily let the reader know you're demeaning a princess.

Oh, and I do mean demeaning. I cannot ever imagine the word used for any purpose other than to demean or insult. The rather dry definition you supplied doesn't indicate that.

 

[oggbashan]

Princeling has a derogatory connotation i.e. is not really a Prince, or is the Prince of a very small state.

Prince and Princess are titles that can mean everything or not very much depending on the context. Unless they are the Heir/Heiress to the Throne the titles of Prince or Princess cover a whole range of importance.

I think that the easiest way is to avoid Princeling and use 'minor Prince' or 'minor Princess' to cover younger siblings and relations of the Crown Prince or Princess (Heirs to the Throne).

Some Princes are/have been rulers in their own right i.e Wales, Monaco and some German States although they might admit (or not) fealty to a higher ruler such as the King/Queen of England, the Kaiser, the Holy Roman Emperor or the Russian Tsar.

In English usage, a minor Prince/Princess usually has a title as a Royal Duke and that title would be used e.g.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (etc).

His wife, formerly Kate Middleton, has the titles Her Royal Highness Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus.

 

[sr71plt]

She would just be a princess (or maybe "minor princess," rather than trying to find one word), wouldn't she? Isn't princeling derived from ancient succession criteria, where princes were identified to indicate succession ranking and princesses didn't succeed--or did so so rarely that those involved knew who was closer in line just by hearing her name?

If you want to distinguish in writing, crown prince or crown princess would designate the heir and dropping the "crown" would distinguish the rest. (In Thailand, they use the "crown" to designate whoever has already been designated as eligible, so they have both a crown prince and a crown princess--because, well, the crown prince . . . )

But "queenlettes" doesn't impress me in the least, so you could just as well use the term Zelda for what you are after and just somehow explain it to the reader (as you'll have to do with "queenlettes").

 

[Tio_Narratore]

The "queenlettes" doesn't really do it in a proper or in a demeaning manner. It would seem to apply to minor queens, not to princesses. The term 'princeling' refered properly to princes not in direct succession, and unless you were dealing with a matrilineal monarchy, secondary princesses would have no relevance. If you're referring demeaningly to minor 'princesses' in the behavioural sense, perhaps something like 'princettes' would work, or even 'princess-in-waiting.'

 

[oggbashan]

Princess Royal is the eldest daughter of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but will not succeed to the Throne because she is younger than Prince Charles, Prince of Wales.

The UK and Commonwealth Government have considered (may already have decided) that the eldest child of the Queen/King will be the Heir whether male or female. That won't matter for many years since The Queen's first born was male (Prince Charles) and his first child was male (Prince William). It MIGHT matter depending on the sex of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's first born who would be third in line to succeed - 1. Prince Charles, 2. Prince William, 3. Prince William's first child.

PS Princeling is really a term of abuse. You would never call someone a Princeling to their face and it is NOT a title of rank.

 

[sr71plt]

PS Princeling is really a term of abuse. You would never call someone a Princeling to their face and it is NOT a title of rank.

Agree. The OP definition doesn't capture the Webster's definition of "petty" and "insignificant."

 

[Stella_Omega]

Funny you should mention it...

I was thinking about this this morning.

In modern usage, "Princess" has a connotation "of minor status or importance" in its own right. Or lack of rights.

It's possible to invest the word with gravitas, but it kinda doesn't have much by default.

 

[oggbashan]

Being a Princess is a pain in the arse

In the 21st Century, despite Hollywood and Disney in particular, being a Princess is not an enviable position.

A Princess cannot marry whom she chooses. She has to marry someone who is acceptable to her country and has a very restricted choice either by status or religion.

She is constantly trailed by the media. If she is 'seen' with a male, the gossip columnists will make a mountain out of a molehill. If she goes to a party or horror a night club, revelations about what she did (or probably didn't do) will feature in magazines.

If she wears an inappropriate hat, pictures will be all over the internet in minutes.

She has duties. She will support charities, lay foundation stones, open buildings, deliver fatuous speeches written for her by some civil servant, try to be pleasant to boring civic dignatories and minor politicians, and is constantly watched for some indiscretion however minor.

She has no private life. Even her 'friends' might try to sell stories, photos or video clips from any social event she might attend.

The most 'minor' princesses of all are those from the Arab States of the Gulf. There are hundreds of them restricted by their status and sex as females in a strict Islamist culture yet they have no power or influence.

Who would want to be a 21st Century Princess?

 

[ishtat]

I was thinking about this this morning.

In modern usage, "Princess" has a connotation "of minor status or importance" in its own right. Or lack of rights.

It's possible to invest the word with gravitas, but it kinda doesn't have much by default.

No Stella: princess (small p) denotes minor status, as in "Hey princess."

But: Princess (big P) denotes major importance, as in, "Her Royal Highness Princess Stella."

Context is all.

 

[MatthewVett]

Princeling is to prince as ???? is to princess

Princeling n.
A prince judged to be of minor status or importance.

What word would you use for princesses? I'm using the word Queenlettes now, but am hoping someone can come up with something better.

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"The heated act of sex often expunges judgment, pushing the participants into territory they hadn't previously contemplated. " -Natasha Vargas-Cooper

Traditionally, prince can be unisex, and in general, a term to refer to any ruler, whether hereditary or elected. I wouldn't worry so much about it, especially if it's a historical work.

 

[PennLady]

I don't know how much help it might be, but in Russian, the king was the Tsar, and his wife the Tsarina. A Tsar's son would have been a tsarevitch. A Tsar's daughter, if daughters could inherit, would have been a tsarevna. I believe that happened once, as Peter the Great's daughter, Elizabeth, took the throne upon his death. All other Russian rulers I know of, aside from Catherine the Great, were men. (And she was Prussian -- she overthrew her husband, Peter III, to take the throne.)

According to Wiki, the heir apparent would have been the "tsetserevitch" or "tsetserevna," male or female respectively. I've don't recall using or learning the term myself but the distinction is that any son would have been a tsarevitch and any daughter a tsarevna. Adding the "tse-" prefix designated that person as the next in line for the throne.

This is different from the various princes and princess that were also part of the royal family in Russia, who were called prince, princess, etc. At least as I recall. I have degrees in this stuff, but it's been a while.

Anyway, if you're willing to coin a word, there are some precedents.

 

[Stella_Omega]

No Stella: princess (small p) denotes minor status, as in "Hey princess."

But: Princess (big P) denotes major importance, as in, "Her Royal Highness Princess Stella."

Context is all.

Oh, my goodness *clutches pearls*

I'd clutch my tiara but I left it somewhere about thirty five years back.

What about Liege? That's an ungendered word meaning a person one owes fealty to. Oh, wait-- we are looking for a diminutive, not an ungendered word

 

[astuffedshirt_perv]

Thanks for all the input!

I think I will go with princelette. The term is for a group of women in China. Princeling(s) is used to describe privileged young men in China, so that term was already taken.

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Thanks for all the input!

I think I will go with princelette. The term is for a group of women in China. Princeling(s) is used to describe privileged young men in China, so that term was already taken.

Glad to have been of some help...

 

[oggbashan]

Thanks for all the input!

I think I will go with princelette. The term is for a group of women in China. Princeling(s) is used to describe privileged young men in China, so that term was already taken.

I thought that the normal translation from Chinese was "Little Emperor(s)" for the single sons born under the one child policy. The female equivalent would be "Little Empress".