governess

[guhv-er-nis]

noun

1. a woman who is employed to take charge of a child's upbringing, education, etc.

2. Archaic.,  a woman who is a ruler or governor.

governess

/ ˈɡʌvənɪs /

noun

1. a woman teacher employed in a private household to teach and train the children

Gender Note

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

• governessy adjective
• subgoverness noun
• undergoverness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of governess¹

1400–50; late Middle English governeress < Old French gouverneresse, feminine of gouverneur governor; -ess

Example Sentences

During World War Two, her mother and elderly governess were frequently her only companions.

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The bathroom belonged to a live-in governess, Mr Virag said, who he was holding a meeting with in a basement room of the five storey property when the theft occurred.

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Margot, whose name we have changed, was 19 when she responded to a job advertisement in The Lady magazine in 1985, for a position as a nanny and governess in Surrey.

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In The Governess, he played a father with an interest in photography who falls for his muse, and governess, played by Minnie Driver.

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No one would have to become a governess.

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Related Words

• nanny