marchioness

[ mahr-shuh-nis, mahr-shuh-nes ]

/ ˈmɑr ʃə nɪs, ˌmɑr ʃəˈnɛs /

noun British.

marquise(defs 1, 2).

Nearby words

Origin of marchioness

1770–80; < Medieval Latin marchiōnissa, equivalent to marchiōn- (stem of marchiō) marquis + -issa -ess

Usage note

See -ess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for marchioness

The marchioness had written to say that she preferred to have it so.
The Last Chronicle of Barset|Anthony Trollope
After this recital, that the marchioness had listened to with sustained interest, there was a pause.
The Flying Horseman|Gustave Aimard
The marchioness pulled her bell-cord three times for her maid,—a signal for her visitor to retire.
Manasseh|Maurus Jokai
Perhaps the marchioness was not unprepared for such a reception.
Within an Inch of His Life|Emile Gaboriau

He himself was but a guest the more, the entertainer was the Marchioness.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, Number 414, April, 1850|Various

British Dictionary definitions for marchioness

marchioness

/ (ˈmɑːʃənɪs, ˌmɑːʃəˈnɛs) /

noun

the wife or widow of a marquis

a woman who holds the rank of marquis

Word Origin for marchioness

C16: from Medieval Latin marchionissa, feminine of marchiō marquis

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

Word Origin and History for marchioness

marchioness

16c., from Medieval Latin marchionissa, fem. of marchio "marquis," from marca (see marquis (n.)).