n. a young woman who makes her first formal appearance in society
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
A young woman making her first appearance in society, especially one who is one of the honorees at a debutante cotillion. See cotillion{4}.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A woman appearing for the first time before the public or in society; specifically, an actress or a singer making her first appearance in public, or a young woman during her first season in society.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a young woman making her debut into society
Word Usage
"Just as in the United States a coming out party for a debutante is in no way necessary, unless the family belongs to the social stratum which believes that it is."