-ess
7.5
An ending added to a noun that shows a female person or animal
- other
- Specialized
:
-esa
- The word 'waitress' uses the suffix -ess to show a female server.
Examples
-
Many older English words use -ess to mark the feminine form, such as 'princess'.
-
In 'lioness', the -ess ending indicates a female lion.
-
The lioness roared fiercely!
-
Sarah became a duchess after the wedding.
-
The word 'waitress' uses the suffix -ess to show a female server.
-
In 'lioness', the -ess ending indicates a female lion.
-
Many older English words use -ess to mark the feminine form, such as 'princess'.
Synonyms
ess
vs-ess
9.9
The name of the letter S or an ending that makes a word mean a woman
is only the suffix that marks female people or animals
Surface Forms
-ess main
Etymology
The word -ess is a small ending used to show a 'female' person or animal. It comes from old French and Latin and you can think of -ess as a little tag meaning 'female' — it appears in words like waitress, lioness, and princess, so it marks the female form.
