noun
countess
KOWN-tuhs/ˈkaʊntəs/
A woman holding the rank of a count or earl, or the wife or widow of one.
The countess stands between two other titled women at the court ceremony.
Etymology
Comes meant a companion or attendant and became a title for a governor, then a nobleman. The feminine form names the corresponding noblewoman and was also adopted for an earl’s wife.
In context
Now Contessa, she's very regal because she's countess,
He was the firstborn child of Count Alphonse and Countess Adele de Toulouse-Lautrec.
More examples
- A portrait of the countess hung above the stairs.
- She inherited the title of countess.
- The biography follows the countess through political upheaval.
Forms
countess · countesses
Similar words
- titled noblewoman
- A broader description of rank.