duchess
Americannoun
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duchesses
plural
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the wife or widow of a duke.
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a woman who holds in her own right the sovereignty or titles of a duchy.
noun
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the wife or widow of a duke
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a woman who holds the rank of duke in her own right
verb
Gender
See -ess.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of duchess
1300–50; Middle English duchesse < Anglo-French, Old French, feminine derivative of duc duke; see -ess
Explanation
A duchess is a female member of a royal or noble family. If a woman marries a duke, she becomes a duchess. Many duchesses inherit their title when they're born — there are still hereditary dukes and duchesses in the U.K., for example. In other cases, a woman marries into a noble family and finds herself with the title. The word duchess comes from the feminine form of the Latin dux, "leader or commander."
Vocabulary lists containing duchess
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The former duchess has already been dropped by multiple charities over her Epstein links.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The duchess was following in the footsteps of Queen Camilla, who appeared on the soap in 2011.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
After their previous contract ended last summer, it was replaced by a "first look deal", which gives Netflix first refusal on any new proposed shows from the duke and duchess.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Less of a trial to Muv were Pamela, who seemed happy with a rural life, and Deborah, who wound up a duchess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
The movie star Clark Gable visited the hotel, and I once got to meet a duke and duchess from England.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
"From valets to duchesses, from three-piece suits to the Roaring Twenties, there is something for every taste," it boasts on its website.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
Images of two duchesses linger in playwright Vivian J.O.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 4, 2021
Much newspaper acreage has already been devoted to comparing the duchesses who at face value appear to have so much in common.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 9, 2020
Harry and his brother, William, are princes, yet their wives are duchesses, not princesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2019
I don't seem to care about duchesses or the gilded halls nowadays.
From The Literary Sense by E. (Edith) Nesbit
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
