empress

[ em-pris ]

noun

1. a female ruler of an empire.
2. the consort of an emperor.

empress

/ ˈɛmprɪs /

noun

1. the wife or widow of an emperor
2. a woman who holds the rank of emperor in her own right
3. a woman of great power and influence

Gender Note

See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of empress¹

1125–75; Middle English emperice, emperesse < Anglo-French; Old French emperesse, empereriz < Latin imperātrīcem, accusative of imperātrix, feminine of imperātor. See emperor, -trix

Word History and Origins

Origin of empress¹

C12: from Old French empereriz, from Latin imperātrix feminine of imperātor emperor

Example Sentences

Astonishingly, The Washington Post has seen fit to publish 1,500 weeks of The Style Invitational — which means the Empress is 98 weeks more astonished than when she ran this same sort of contest for Week 1402.

From Washington Post

A letter by the empress outlining her inoculation strategy is up for auction by MacDougall's in London.

From Ars Technica

If you really want that trophy, Be the one who pays the mostOr you’ll get no ink, you stinker, from the Empress of The Post!

From Washington Post

Artists might have been defeated by the line-up of the twelve, but they did use individual empresses to open a window onto the corruption at the very heart of the empire.

From Time

It’s no surprise that Japan’s pacifist Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Masako, the empress, wanted to skip the Opening Ceremonies.

From The Daily Beast

To them, Her Imperial Majesty and Queen Empress was behaving in a manner unbecoming.

From The Daily Beast

If you want Cinderella to become the empress of the world...

From The Daily Beast

The Empress added a special clause for land-owning farmers, who were allowed to distill up to three hundred liters.

From The Daily Beast

He quickly made a name for himself among the French aristocracy; among his patrons was Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.

From The Daily Beast

With Empress of Fashion: A Life of Diana Vreeland, Stuart does more than celebrate and bear witness.

From The Daily Beast

Every word that now fell from the agitated Empress was balm to the affrighted nerves of her daughter.

From Project Gutenberg

The first rail road opened in Brazil, the emperor and empress being present at the inauguration.

From Project Gutenberg

Not suspecting her motive, he represented the hazard of putting so great an affront on the favourite of the Empress.

From Project Gutenberg

Louis was not less astonished at this charge, than the Empress had been at the communication which aroused it.

From Project Gutenberg

During this defence, the Empress frequently shook her head; and when it was finished, she rose from her chair.

From Project Gutenberg