duchess
Americannoun
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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:
Contestants were set the task of transforming a staple ingredient into a dish "fit for a duchess", although the duchess herself urged her fellow judges to “call me Meghan”.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
On Thursday, the duchess posted a collection of photos on Instagram capturing the Sussex family's summer holiday so far, including several shots of Archie and Lilibet.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He and the duchess will serve as co-producers on the new film adaptation of No Way Out.
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 duchess was the great beauty of her age.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
"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
Over the centuries, the dukes and duchesses of Alba have distinguished themselves in various ways.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
“Snobbery has gone out of fashion, and in our shops you will find duchesses jostling with typists to buy the same dress,” Quant once said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2023
The duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex sat side by side, sisters-in-law looking on from the front row.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 13, 2019
American elements in modern London Society, 435; countesses and duchesses, 435; embassies and ministers—Washington Irving and Motley, 435; Russell Lowell and Bayard, 436; ladies, their education in Paris, 436; restlessness a characteristic feature of, 436.
From Social Transformations of the Victorian Age A Survey of Court and Country by Escott, T. H. S. (Thomas Hay Sweet)
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.
