eldress

[el-dris]

noun

1. a laywoman who is a governing officer in certain Protestant churches.

Gender Note

See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of eldress¹

First recorded in 1630–40; elder ¹ + -ess

Example Sentences

When Wilson became aware of Mother Rebecca Cox Jackson, a Shaker eldress who formed her own community in Philadelphia in the 19th century, he was immediately intrigued about how Black and Shaker traditions intertwined — or didn’t.

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Narrations of texts by Rebecca Cox Jackson, a 19th-century Black Shaker eldress, and words and music by Alice Coltrane are crucial to the weave.

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Her new films, sculptures and a light installation take four fleeting slices in moments from American life as reference points: Alice Coltrane’s California ashram; Bill Ray’s iconic 1966 photos of Simon Rodia’s sculptural, found-object Watts Towers; the stunningly weird desert installations of Noah Purifoy near Joshua Tree; and a 19th-century, black Shaker community led by “eldress” Rebecca Cox Jackson.

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The first presents of this kind that were received during my residence there, came as follows: A sister whirled for some time; then stopped and informed the Eldress as usual that Mother Ann had sent a messenger with presents for some of her most faithful children.

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On some occasions when a sister had stopped her whirling, she would say, 'I have a communication to make;' when the head Eldress would step to her side and receive the communication, and then make known the nature of it to the company.

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