proprietress
Americannoun
-
a woman who owns a business establishment.
-
a woman who has the exclusive right or title to something.
Gender
See -ess.
Etymology
Origin of proprietress
First recorded in 1685–95; propriet(o)r + -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.
Khadijo Warsam, proprietress of the Zahra Cafe stall was feeling some relief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Farther down Tsentralna, at the Flower Cafe — which sells plants and bouquets as well as food — proprietress Tetiana Lytvynenko, 33, was serving up paninis and coffee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2022
Eventually, in 2008, Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing moved to Long Island City, after its proprietress faced fines of $1,000 a day if she did not vacate her existing space.
From New York Times ● Jan. 21, 2022
At the resort, she meets Lola, its wizened, purposeful proprietress.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2021
When I returned to the dining room, I approached the proprietress, Ngawang Doka, to ask for a beer.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
