Cinderella

noun

1. the title character of a fairy tale, a household drudge who, with the help of a fairy godmother, marries a prince
2. a person or thing whose merit, value, or beauty is for a time unrecognized

Origin: cinder + dim. suffix -ella: like Fr Cendrillon (dim. < cendre, ashes), a partial transl. of Ger Aschenbrödel, lit., scullion (< asche, ash + brodeln, bubble up, brew)

adjective