archduchess

[ahrch-duhch-is]

noun

1. the wife of an archduke.

2. a princess of the Austrian imperial family.

archduchess

/ ˈɑːtʃˈdʌtʃɪs /

noun

1. the wife or widow of an archduke

2. (since 1453) a princess of the Austrian imperial family, esp a daughter of the Austrian emperor

Gender Note

What's the difference between archduchess and archduke? See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of archduchess¹

First recorded in 1610–20; arch- ¹ + duchess, modeled on French archiduchesse

Example Sentences

The archduchess admires his protective instinct, but she can’t save him, or the tower, from their inevitable fate.

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About a self-important archduchess, she comments: “I would like to see her in the water. Water has a way of splashing on the mighty in a way that does them no favors.”

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Marie-Antoinette, an Austrian archduchess by birth, was the wife of King Louis XVI of France, of the Bourbon dynasty.

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It is now appropriated to the descendants of the imperial family of Austria through the make line, all such male descendants being styled archduke, and all such female descendants archduchesses.

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Provisions are then made in case of the archduchess's or Henry's death with or without children by the marriage.

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Related Words

• aristocrat