filles du roi filles du Roi, les filles du roi, Filles du Roi, < French 'daughters of the king' DCHP-2 (October 2016)
n. — plural, historical
women sent by the king from 17th-century France to New France for marriage.
Type: 1. Origin — In the late 17th century New France experienced a shortage of women, which threatened the success of the colony. In order to alleviate the problem, King Louis XIV had more than 700 women of marriageable age transported from Paris and northern France to New France to become wives of the settlers. By 1671 the birthrate in the colony had increased enough for the program to be discontinued (see Grady 1998: 97-106).
See also COD-2, which marks the term "Cdn (hist.)".