prioress

[prahy-er-is]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prioress ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a woman holding a position corresponding to that of a prior, sometimes ranking next below an abbess.

Origin of prioress

1250–1300; Middle English prioresse < Old French. See prior², -ess

Related formssub·pri·or·ess, noun

Usage note

See -ess.

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

Related Words for prioress

sister, vestal, anchorite, prioress, postulant, abbess, canoness, superior, ecclesiarch

Examples from the Web for prioress

Historical Examples of prioress

In the meantime they proposed to me the engagement, and the post of prioress.
The Autobiography of Madame Guyon
Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon
The large refectory was exchanged for the small chamber of the prioress.
The Rise of the Hugenots, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Henry Martyn Baird
Margery replied courteously, but she had no desire to see much of the Prioress.
Mistress Margery
Emily Sarah Holt
“I rejoice that you take my meaning,” answered the Prioress, in an even voice.
Mistress Margery
Emily Sarah Holt
Only a few minutes had elapsed when the Prioress herself appeared.
The King's Daughters
Emily Sarah Holt

British Dictionary definitions for prioress

prioress

noun

a nun holding an office in her convent corresponding to that of a prior in a male religious order

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 prioress

c.1300, from Medieval Latin priorissa, from prior "head of a priory of men" (see prior (n.)).