mestressa

Catalan

Etymology

From mestre (“master”) +‎ -essa (“-ess”, feminine noun-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [məsˈtɾɛ.sə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [məsˈtɾə.sə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [mesˈtɾe.sa]
• Rhymes: -ɛsa
• Hyphenation: mes‧tres‧sa

Noun

mestressa f (plural mestresses, masculine mestre)

1. female landowner, especially in the sense of someone with control over tenants, production etc.
2. (obsolete) wife of a landlord
3. mistress
4. schoolmistress
5. (informal) term of address to a young woman who is not known to the speaker, especially to catch attention

Derived terms

• mestressa de casa

Further reading

• “mestressa” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.