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Synonyms

peeress

American  
[peer-is] / ˈpɪər ɪs /

noun

  1. the wife or widow of a peer.

  2. a woman having in her own right the rank of a peer.


peeress British  
/ ˈpɪərɪs /

noun

  1. the wife or widow of a peer

  2. a woman holding the rank of a peer in her own right

"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

Gender

See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of peeress

First recorded in 1680–90; peer 2 + -ess

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

However, on her appointment as minister for Europe, she became a peeress in her own right.

From BBC Dec. 3, 2023

Which explains how the Mayfair peeress who asked me for cocktails one day has a villa packed with Vieux Paris silver-plate and Louis XVI armchairs covered in needlepoint scenes from La Fontaine’s “Fables.”

From New York Times May 20, 2011

Missing was old Mrs. Vanderbilt, Society's long-time peeress, and Otto Hermann Kahn, for years the Metropolitan's best friend.

From Time Magazine Archive

With due appreciation to the Queen, Nancy Astor said: "I hope they will create me a lifetime peeress!"

From Time Magazine Archive

She says that she refused to derogate from her dignity by appearing merely as a peeress of England; but it is not clear that she would have been received in that capacity.

From The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 3, June, 1851 by Various

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