débutante

Débutante is the feminine form of débutant (beginner), from the verb débuter (to begin, to make a first appearance). Débuter itself comes from dé- (from) + but (goal, mark) — literally to move away from the starting mark, to take a first step. The word was used in gaming before it was used in society: débuter originally described the first move in a game of bowls. The starting mark was the but. To débuter was to leave it.

The social meaning developed in French high society in the eighteenth century. A débutante was a young woman making her first formal appearance in society — literally her début. The event was codified: presentation at court, a formal ball, introductions to eligible men. In France, the débutante was presented to the king. In England, she was presented at court to the monarch. The practice formalized the transition from girlhood to social adulthood.

The English court presentation ceremony continued until 1958, when Queen Elizabeth II discontinued it. The last debutantes were presented at Buckingham Palace on March 18, 1958. Princess Margaret reportedly said the practice had become obsolete because 'every tart in London was getting in.' The institution died with the ceremony.

In the United States, the debutante tradition persists without a monarch. Debutante balls are held by social organizations, community groups, and cotillion societies across the country. The International Debutante Ball at the Waldorf Astoria in New York continues annually. The word itself has expanded beyond formal society: a musician's debut album, an actor's film debut, a company's market debut — every first appearance is now a début. The gaming term colonized everything.