headmistress

[ hed-mis-tris ]

/ ˈhɛdˈmɪs trɪs /

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noun

a woman in charge of a private school.

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Origin of headmistress

First recorded in 1870–75; head + mistress

usage note for headmistress

See -ess.

OTHER WORDS FROM headmistress

headmistress-ship, noun

Words nearby headmistress

headman, head margin, headmaster, headmasterly, head mike, headmistress, headmistressy, head money, headmost, headnote, head off

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use headmistress in a sentence

“You must stop baring your midriff,” scolded her headmistress.
The 15 Most Cringeworthy Bits From Leandra Medine’s New Memoir|Emilia Petrarca|September 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her clothes are sold at Barneys, all over Europe and Asia, and are quite fitted, with provocative names like "HeadMistress Dress."
The Rise and Rise of L'Wren Scott|Merle Ginsberg|March 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
At the door she came face to face with Miss Bennet, the headmistress.
Fifty-Two Stories For Girls|Various
She was tall and thin, angular and severe, a typical headmistress, stern and unyielding.
The Imaginary Marriage|Henry St. John Cooper

Foremost amongst these was Mrs. Liang, mother of Ling Ai, the headmistress of the girls' school.
The Fulfilment of a Dream of Pastor Hsi's|A. Mildred Cable
Her position here is one of the best of its kind, for she is practically headmistress.
Tom and Some Other Girls|Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
It is said she was a stern headmistress, but she stood for all that was fine, and meant a great deal to Georgetown.
A Portrait of Old George Town|Grace Dunlop Ecker

British Dictionary definitions for headmistress

headmistress

/ (ˌhɛdˈmistrəs) /

noun

a female principal of a schoolGender-neutral form: head teacher

Derived forms of headmistress

headmistressship, noun

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