shepherdess
Americannoun
-
a girl or woman who herds sheep.
-
a rural girl.
Gender
See -ess.
Etymology
Origin of shepherdess
First recorded in 1350–1400, shepherdess is from the Middle English word shepherdesse. See shepherd, -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.
The stories of her dressing as a shepherdess and milking the royal cows are probably no truer than the claim that she said, “Let them eat brioche.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026
Her mother was a shepherdess, although her failing health meant she couldn't go to the pastures this year.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2023
But it’s an older character—Bo Peep, a ceramic shepherdess in a yearslong flirtation with Sheriff Woody—who’s the film’s greatest delight and most original creation.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2019
Living as a shepherdess in a beautiful mountain village was a tempting alternative.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 15, 2018
They would offer to exchange the little shepherdess for the squirrel.
From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo
Definitions 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.
