“You’ve never wondered why we don’t call a single man ‘mondamoiseau,’ or even ‘young male virgin?’ ” the feminist groups ask on a joint Web site. “Not surprising: this sort of distinction is reserved for women.”

Magali de Haas, a spokeswoman for “Osez le féminisme!,” expressed the hope that, in time, private organizations would also drop “mademoiselle” and that the term would fall out of popular use.

The niceties of the French language are monitored and debated by an august institution, the Académie Française, which typically operates on a time scale commensurate with its venerability and has yet to offer comment. Nor have all Frenchwomen rejoiced at news of the change, given not only long tradition but also widespread disdain for more avid strains of feminism, deemed to lack sufficient appreciation for the joys offered by the differences between the sexes.

Men are often called “jeune homme,” or “young man,” through their 20s, and not “monsieur,” Ms. de Haas noted. She suggested a similar distinction be made between the “young woman” (“jeune femme”) and more senior “madame,” thus avoiding “mademoiselle,” a term that harkens to notions of female subjugation, she said.

As early as 1690, the terms “mademoiselle” and “demoiselle” were used to signify “unmarried female,” according to the French National Center for Textual and Lexical Resources. “Mademoiselle” entered into official use under Napoleon I, the creator of the French civil code, but came into broader use only in the 20th century, according to Laurence Waki, the author of a recent book on the subject.