countess
nouncommon in dialogue
- //ˈkaʊntɪs//
The wife of a count or earl.
noun
- 1
The wife of a count or earl.
- 2
A woman holding the rank of count or earl in her own right; a female holder of an earldom.
Elizabeth Millicent Leveson-Gower is 24th Countess of Sutherland; her son will be the 25th Earl.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman cuntesse, Old French contesse, from Latin comitissa; equivalent to count + -ess. Doublet of contessa.
Forms
- plural
- countesses
counter · One who counts.Counter · A surname.counterfeit · False, especially of money; intended to deceive or carry…
countess · The wife of a count or earl.
counting · A count.countless · A huge and uncountable number of; too many to count;…country · The territory of a nation; a sovereign state or a region once…