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wardress

wardress

9.9
A woman who guards and looks after women in a prison
  • noun
  • /ˈwɔrdres/
  • Archaic
translation icon : celadora
  • The wardress monitored the inmates closely to maintain order in the facility.

Examples

  • Before her marriage, our stepmother was a wardress in a prison.

  • I met the wardress this morning.

  • And she's still a wardress to us.

  • Although I did almost shiv the muff of a horny wardress from midnight to dawn, no.

  • Consider she was a wardress in a prison and your adjutant, Colonel, has confirmed my suspicion in a telephone call to the American police that Lady Westholme, prior to her marriage, was a criminal, who served a prison sentence in that very same prison.

  • As a former wardress, she understood the challenges of managing a women's prison.

  • The wardress conducted daily inspections to ensure that all rules were being followed.

Synonyms

prison guard
vswardress
26 2.5

A person who watches prisoners in a jail or prison

is specifically a woman who leads or guards women in a prison
jailer
vswardress
19 3.0

A person who guards prisoners in a jail or prison

is specifically a female guard for women in a prison section
matron
vswardress
  • UK
15 6.3

A woman in charge of staff and discipline in a hospital or prison

is specifically a female guard or manager for women in a prison
warder
vswardress
  • UK
4 7.4

A person who guards prisoners in a prison

is specifically a female officer who oversees women in a prison
jailkeeper
vswardress
  • Archaic
1 4.4

A person who guards and manages people in a jail or prison

is specifically a woman in charge of the women's area of a prison
police matron
vswardress
  • Archaic
7.2

A female police officer who looks after women or children in custody

is specifically a woman who guards or runs women in a prison

How Senior

lieutenant governor
  • Specialized
33 6.3
warden
  • US
248 4.3
wardress
  • Archaic
9.9

Surface Forms

wardress singular
wardresses plural

Morphology

wardress = ward (semi-transparent) = ward + ress

The formation 'ward' + the feminine suffix '-ress' makes the meaning 'female guard' recoverable, but '-ress' is an outdated/feminine marking and the word is rare, so inference may be uncertain for learners.

Etymology

The word wardress comes from warden meaning 'guard' plus the feminine ending -ess, like in actress. So a wardress is simply a woman who guards or is in charge of women in a prison.