governess

American  

[guhv-er-nis] / ˈgʌv ər nɪs /

noun

• governesses
  plural

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.

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governess British  

/ ˈɡʌvənɪs /

noun

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

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Gender

See -ess.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subgoverness
  noun
• undergoverness
  noun
• governessy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• governesses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of governess

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

Explanation

If you had grown up in a very wealthy 19th-century family, instead of going to school you might have been taught by a governess, a teacher who lived in your home. Not many people employ governesses these days — the exceptions are generally members of royal families. So unless you're a prince or princess, you probably attended elementary school rather than having a governess teach you reading, writing, and etiquette at home. In well-off Victorian families, unmarried, well-educated, middle-class women were paid to teach young children the basics. Older boys then moved on to male tutors, while girls usually focused on music and art lessons.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

governess governesses

Marion Crawford, known as Crawfie, had been governess to the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

Fortunes changed in 1894 when he appointed his children's governess, Rita Shell, to be editor.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2025

Winifred Notty arrives at Ensor House as a governess with a secret, which would be enough for many a novel set in Victorian England.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2025

Follow along as Maria serves as governess for the seven children of the stern Captain, bringing music to their lives in the form of timeless songs like “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Do Re Mi” and “Edelweiss.”

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2023

Cassiopeia gazed pleadingly at her governess, waiting for an answer.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

Among those who taught her was her father, along with a senior teacher at Eton College, several French and Belgian governesses who taught her French, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who taught her religion.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2022

For Americans who associate British TV with crime-solving vicars and emotionally repressed governesses, the fantastically tacky contestants of “Love Island” can be a shock to the system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2022

By 1853 she was head of a hospital in London, England, for governesses, women who couldn’t afford private care but would not consider going to a public facility.

From Washington Post ● May 4, 2022

The girls work as governesses and lady’s companions; they mend old clothes to make them last; they make their own entertainment: plays, newspapers, books, music.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 7, 2019

“I forgot that English people rather turn up their noses at governesses and don’t treat them as we do,” said Meg, looking after the retreating figure with an annoyed expression.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Related Words

• nanny