- countess
- countess mid-12c., adopted in Anglo-Fr. for "the wife of an earl," from M.L. cometissa, fem. of L. comes "count" (see COUNT (Cf. count) (n.)).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
countess
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Countess — Allg … Deutsch Wikipedia
Countess — Count ess (kount ?s), n.; pl. {Countesses} ( ?s). [F. comtesse. See {Count} a nobleman.] The wife of an earl in the British peerage, or of a count in the Continental nobility; also, a lady possessed of the same dignity in her own right. See the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
countess — ► NOUN 1) the wife or widow of a count or earl. 2) a woman holding the rank of count or earl … English terms dictionary
countess — [kount′is] n. [ME countesse < OFr contesse < ML cometissa: see COUNT2 & ESS] 1. the wife or widow of a count or earl 2. a noblewoman whose rank is equal to that of a count or earl … English World dictionary
Countess of Eu — See also: Count of Eu Contents 1 Countess consort of Eu 1.1 House of Normandy, 996–1246 1.2 House of Lusignan, 1219–1260 1.3 … Wikipedia
Countess — Coun|tess 〈[ kaʊntıs] f.; , es [ tısız]; engl. Bez. für〉 Gräfin (Frau eines Earls od. Counts) * * * Coun|tess [ ka̮untɪs ], die; , es […tɪsɪz], auch en [… tɛsn̩] [engl. countess < frz. comtesse, ↑ Komtess]: 1. <o. Pl.> englischer Titel… … Universal-Lexikon
countess — /kown tis/, n. 1. the wife or widow of a count in the nobility of Continental Europe or of an earl in the British peerage. 2. a woman having the rank of a count or earl in her own right. [1125 75; ME c(o)untesse < AF. See COUNT2, ESS] Usage. See… … Universalium
countess — UK [ˈkaʊntɪs] / US [ˈkaʊntəs] noun [countable] Word forms countess : singular countess plural countesses a woman who is a member of the nobility. A countess is either a woman with the same rank as an earl or a count, or the wife of an earl or… … English dictionary
countess — A title used by the wife or widow of a count, the wife or widow of an earl or a woman who, in her own right, has a position equal to that of a count or earl. Charlotte Brontë, in Villette, has: ‘I am a countess now. Papa, mamma and the girls… … A dictionary of epithets and terms of address
countess — [[t]ka͟ʊntɪs[/t]] countesses N COUNT; N TITLE; N VOC A countess is a woman who has the same rank as a count or earl, or who is married to a count or earl. ...the Countess of Lichfield … English dictionary
