duchess
[duhch-is]
- the wife or widow of a duke.
- a woman who holds in her own right the sovereignty or titles of a duchy.
Show More
Origin of duchess
Usage note
See -ess.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
aristocratkingmonarchemperorczarsultanshahgirlqueenadultfemalecountpatriciangentlemanroyaltypeerlordladyprinceempressExamples from the Web for duchess
Contemporary Examples
He called her The Duchess, and if The Duchess didn't like something, then it was of no value.
The Barclays Center where the Duke and Duchess will be seated would have stood in thick of where the pivotal action transpired.
The British Royals Reinvade Brooklyn: William and Kate Come Watch Basketball on Historic Battle SiteJustin Jones
December 6, 2014
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Diez said he married the duchess for love, not money.
As a wedding gift, the duchess installed a cinema screen in her Duenas Palace for her younger husband.
A flamboyant, multi-titled, multiply married royal to remember, the Duchess of Alba died Thursday at the age of 88.
Historical Examples
His aunt, the Duchess of Savoy, is a merry dame, and a wise!
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
Then of course you would have no objection to my visiting a duchess in the small-pox?
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
Pray, are you at all acquainted, Mrs. Wynne, with the Duchess of A——?
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
I could introduce you to a duchess, but then the fee is high.
Night and Morning, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
It is very fine to be a Freeland woman--but, believe me, it is much finer to be a duchess.
FreelandTheodor Hertzka
duchess
- the wife or widow of a duke
- a woman who holds the rank of duke in her own right
Show More
- Australian informal to overwhelm with flattering attention
Show More
Word Origin
C14: from Old French duchesse, feminine of duc duke
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for duchess
n.
c.1300, from Old French duchesse, from Late Latin or Medieval Latin ducissa, fem. of dux (see duke (n.)). Often spelled dutchess until early 19c. (e.g. Dutchess County, New York, U.S.).
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper