marchioness
/ˈmɑɹʃənɪs/ noun
Forms marchionesses marquise
- noun The wife of a marquess.
- noun A woman holding the rank of marquess in her own right.
- noun (slang, obsolete) An old-fashioned maid-of-all-work; female servant.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Medieval Latin marchionissa, feminine form of marchion, from Late Latin marca, from Frankish *markōn (“to mark, mark out, to press with the foot”), from Proto-Germanic *markō (“area, region, edge, rim, border”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The wife or the widow of a marquis; a woman who has the rank and dignity of a marquis. Spelman.
Etymology [LL. marchionissa, fr. marchio a marquis. See Marquis.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “marchioness”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details