English
wikipedia
Alternative spellings
celebutant
Etymology
From celebrity + debutante. Reportedly coined by w:Walter_Winchell|Walter Winchell in 1939.
Noun
en-noun
- A young, usually female socialite, especially one of limited accomplishment, who is the focus of sufficient media attention and public interest to be regarded as a celebrity.
Quotations
1939, Walter Winchell, (syndicated column), Charleston Daily Mail, 6 Apr.
:Brenda Frazier, Inspires a new 1-word description�celebutante.
1985, "James St. James profile", Newsweek, 3 June.
:Young �celebutants� hope to win the approval of full-fledged downtown celebrities.
1986, Karen Heller. "New York Confidential," Philadelphia Inquirer, 9 July, p. C01
:St. James is a self-styled celebutante; Newsweek coined the word and St. James is glad to wear it.
1986, Maureen Dowd, "Lisa in Wonderland: Creating her own celebrity," New York Times, 9 Nov, sec. 6, p. 32.
:Lisa Edelstein, a nice girl from a New Jersey suburb, is explaining how she got to be Lisa E., New York's reigning Queen of the Night, Girl of the Moment, new Edie Sedgwick and top "celebutante" of 1986. "Being a celebutante means you're famous for not really doing anything," the 20-year-old says. "You just try to get to know as many people as you can, so that you know everybody."
2007, Jessica Coen, "A media Frankenstein," Mail & Guardian Online, South Africa, 23 May.
:Paris Hilton, the United States�s first name in famous-for-being-famous, got her come-uppance. . . . Her ubiquitous nightlife presence, perceived aura of fabulousness and inane conduct made her a tabloid fixture, and she is perhaps our first celebutante, someone who does nothing but exist.
ru:celebutante
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