Their wings are not held as flat as the wings of the dragonflies. Spread-winged damselflies also have wings that narrow to stalks near the body unlike the thick wing bases of dragonflies. Both dragonflies and damselflies have freely moving heads. The compound eyes of dragonflies are so large that they almost cover the head, whereas the compound eyes of damselflies bulge out to the sides. The dragonflies have thicker bodies than the damselflies.
Damselflies appear almost delicate because their abdomens are so long and thin.
This delicate look is probably why damselflies were given their name. A damsel is an old word for 'young lady'.