-ess
See also: Appendix:Variations of "ess"
English
editEtymology 1
editFrom Middle English -esse, borrowed from Old French -esse, from Late Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa). Displaced Old English -en (feminine suffix of nouns).
Pronunciation
edit- IPA(key): /ɛs/, /ɪs/, /əs/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Suffix
edit-ess (plural -esses)
- Used to form female equivalents.
- Synonyms: -a, -ette, -ine, -ress, she-, -trix
- Antonym: he-
- actor + -ess → actress
- chanter + -ess → chantress
- duke + -ess → duchess (“female ruler of a duchy”)
- god + -ess → goddess
- lion + -ess → lioness
- prince + -ess → princess (“daughter of monarch (holding this title in her own right, who would become a queen regnant); the female equivalent of a prince”)
- The wife of.
- alderman + -ess → aldermaness (“alderman’s wife”)
- duke + -ess → duchess (“duke’s wife”)
- mayor + -ess → mayoress (“mayor’s wife”)
- priest + -ess → priestess (“priest’s wife”)
- prince + -ess → princess (“prince’s wife (who would become a queen consort)”)
- squire + -ess → squiress (“squire’s wife”)
Usage notes
edit- Professions ending in -ter or -tor change to -tr when this suffix is added.
- A female sempster is a sempstress; a female actor is an actress.
- However, there are also terms with -ter-ess.
- Additionally, sometimes terms ending in -der/-dor can change to -dr when this suffix is added. Other changes are: -ger to -gr, -per to -pr, -pher to -phr.
- As in Romance languages, the masculine form may be used when referring to both males and females; however, in other cases using the masculine and feminine forms together may be preferred.
- Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were very popular actors.
- The zoo has a breeding pair of tigers.
- Twelve gods (or: Twelve gods and goddesses) form the Greek pantheon.
- but: A procession of dukes and duchesses filed into the coronation.
- The unusual word marquess denotes males (the -ess ending is not this suffix; the feminine is marchioness).
- This suffix is sometimes regarded as sexist and as such is starting to fall into disuse, particularly when referring to professions. A single, gender-neutral term is preferred by some even though it is a less specific term. Many terms such as authoress or sculptress are considered dated and rarely used outside of historical references, and other forms such as doctress or philosophress are virtually obsolete. Usage is divided on words such as actress or waitress, which remain common but are deprecated by some, including some women who hold those positions. Use with titles of nobility is still universal (prince is never used to refer to a woman outside of special circumstances, only princess).
- Glenda Jackson is a famous actor.
- Glenda Jackson is a famous actress. More specific language signaling that Glenda is a female.
- Depending on etymology, other feminine affixes are used; see synonyms.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editfemale suffix
|
Etymology 2
editFrom Old French -esse, from Latin -itia.
Suffix
edit-ess
- Used to form nouns from adjectives.
References
edit- Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “-ess”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
editMiddle English
editSuffix
edit-ess
- Alternative form of -esse
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English suffixes
- English productive suffixes
- English noun-forming suffixes
- English terms derived from Latin
- Middle English alternative forms