countess

[koun-tis]

noun

1. the wife or widow of a count in the nobility of Continental Europe or of an earl in the British peerage.

2. a woman having the rank of a count or earl in her own right.

countess

/ ˈkaʊntɪs /

noun

1. the wife or widow of a count or earl

2. a woman of the rank of count or earl

Gender Note

What's the difference between countess and count? See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of countess¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English c(o)untesse, from Anglo-French; count ², -ess

Example Sentences

Yesterday’s countesses lacked those freedoms and were bound to serve as propriety’s standard bearers.

From Salon

As an American woman who married into the British aristocracy back in 2004, the countess knows firsthand the challenge of slipping between two cultures.

From BBC

When she meets the countess and Blitzkopf the parrot, the magical stories she hears helps her to solve a painful mystery.

From Los Angeles Times

The countess helped plan the village and designed its pavilion.

From BBC

Moore’s strategic countess can only elevate her position and that of her family by using George, which she does without guilt.

From Salon

Related Words

• czar 
• emperor 
• king 
• monarch 
• shah 
• sultan