viscountess

American  

[vahy-koun-tis] / ˈvaɪˌkaʊn tɪs /

noun

1. the wife or widow of a viscount.

2. a woman holding in her own right a rank equivalent to that of a viscount.

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viscountess British  

/ ˈvaɪkaʊntɪs /

noun

1. the wife or widow of a viscount

2. a woman who holds the rank of viscount in her own right

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Gender

See -ess.

Etymology

Origin of viscountess

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at viscount, -ess

Example Sentences

What’s a nice Jewish viscountess to do when she has a title but no money, a party invitation but no clothes and a pair of scissors but no sewing skills?

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2024

That scene is such a shift in the story line where you see Edwina’s frustration and determination to become the viscountess.

From New York Times • Apr. 14, 2022

Julie Montagu, an American viscountess, knows that marrying into British aristocracy isn’t as glamorous as it sounds.

From Fox News • Jul. 23, 2021

His father was from a wealthy, aristocratic Scots farming and military family, his mother was a viscountess.

From The Guardian • Aug. 9, 2011

There 142had been for many years a struggle between the commune of the castle, or bourg, of Limoges and Margaret the viscountess.

From The History of England From the Accession of Henry III. to the Death of Edward III. (1216-1377) by Hunt, William