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prioress

[ prahy-er-is ]
/ ˈpraɪ ər ɪs /
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noun

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

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

prior lien, prior probability, prior restraint, prior, matthew, priorate, prioress, prioritise, prioritization, prioritize, priority, priority mail

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

Examples from the Web for prioress

British Dictionary definitions for prioress

prioress

/ (ˈpraɪərɪs) /

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

prioress

n.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper