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Glite Dictionary
👑 A prince's wife 🗳️ A woman voter
electress

electress

1 9.9
The wife of a prince who helps choose the Holy Roman Emperor
  • noun
  • /ɪˈlɛktrəs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : electriz
  • The electress attended the royal ceremony.

Examples

  • As electress of Saxony, she was known for her charitable work.

  • The electress played an important role in the court's social life.

  • The palace was decorated for the arrival of the new electress.

  • Many electresses played significant roles in history.

  • The Electress of Hanover played a key role in the political affairs of her time.

  • As the Electress, she was influential in choosing the next Holy Roman Emperor.

  • During her husband’s reign, the Electress was involved in many royal events and ceremonies.

Synonyms

consort
vselectress
  • Formal
8 7.7

The husband or wife of the ruling monarch

is the spouse of a prince who had the right to elect the emperor

Surface Forms

electress singular
electresses plural

Morphology

electress = elector (semi-transparent) = elector + ess

Formationally transparent as the feminine of 'elector', but the specific historical/political role (wife of a prince with electoral rights in the Holy Roman Empire) is specialized and may not be inferable by learners from the base alone.

Etymology

Electress also uses the root elect- 'to choose' and the female ending -ess, like in princess. In history an electress was the wife of an elector, a prince who could 'choose' the Holy Roman Emperor, so her title was linked to that power of choosing.