Marchioness
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 The wife of a marquess.
"The first train over the bridge was driven by the Marchioness of Tweeddale, and the engine was No. 602 of the North British Railway Company."
- 2 a noblewoman ranking below a duchess and above a countess wordnet
- 3 A woman holding the rank of marquess in her own right.
- 4 the wife or widow of a marquis wordnet
- 5 An old-fashioned maid-of-all-work; female servant. obsolete, slang
"The beauty and charm of the little marchioness and the tender hearted old colored man, with their mutual affection, forcibly remind the reader of "Uncle Tom" and "Eva.""
Example
More examples"After alluding airily to the Vehmgericht, aqua tofana, Carbonari, the Marchioness de Brinvilliers, the Darwinian theory, the principles of Malthus, and the Ratcliff Highway murders, the article concluded by admonishing the Government and advocating a closer watch over foreigners in England."
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”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.