princess
See also: Princess
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English princesse, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman princesse, Old French princesse, corresponding to prince + -ess.
PronunciationEdit
- (UK) IPA(key): /pɹɪnˈsɛs/, /ˈpɹɪnsɛs/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈpɹɪnsɛs/, /ˈpɹɪnsɪs/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: (UK) -ɛs
NounEdit
princess (plural princesses)
- A female member of a royal family other than a queen, especially a daughter or granddaughter of a monarch. [from 14th c.]
- 1872, George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin:
- She did not cry long, however, for she was as brave as could be expected of a princess of her age.
- A woman or girl who excels in a given field or class. [from 14th c.]
- 2014, Blake Masters, Peter Thiel, Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future
- Michael Jackson was the king of pop. Britney Spears was the pop princess. Until they weren't.
- 2014, Blake Masters, Peter Thiel, Zero to One: Notes on Start Ups, or How to Build the Future
- (now archaic) A female ruler or monarch; a queen. [from 15th c.]
- 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- And running all with greedie ioyfulnesse / To faire Irena, at her feet did fall, / And her adored with due humblenesse, / As their true Liege and Princesse naturall […]
- The wife of a prince; the female ruler of a principality. [from 15th c.]
- Princess Grace was the Princess of Monaco.
- A young girl; used as a term of endearment. [from 18th c.]
- (derogatory, chiefly US) A young girl or woman (or less commonly a man) who is vain, spoiled or selfish; a prima donna. [from 20th c.]
- A tinted crystal marble used in children's games.
- A type of court card in the Tarot pack, coming between the 10 and the prince (Jack).
- A female lemur.
Usage notesEdit
- A princess is usually styled “Her Highness”. A princess in a royal family is “Her Royal Highness”; in an imperial family “Her Imperial Highness”.
Coordinate termsEdit
Derived termsEdit
terms derived from princess
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
female member of royal family
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woman or girl who excels in a given field or class
female monarch, or wife of a ruler
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wife of a prince; female ruler of a principality
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tinted crystal marble
female lemur
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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