noun
empress
The wife of an emperor.
The empress accompanies her husband, the emperor, at the ceremony.
Etymology
The feminine imperial title could designate either a ruler or an emperor’s consort. In this sense, the title comes from marriage to the emperor rather than from ruling in her own right.
More examples
- She became empress when she married the emperor.
- The empress supported several charities.
- The historian distinguished the empress consort from the reigning empress.
Forms
empress · empresses