ogress

1 9.9

A large, frightening female monster in stories that often eats or scares people

noun
/ˈoʊɡrəs/

Literature

: ogresa

In the fairy tale, the ogress captured heroes and demanded challenging tasks from them.

Examples

When I went to Owl Mountain for the last time, only two summers ago, it was really quite painful to have to confront, as an old ogress, the girl who once had been the foremost beauty of the place.

Fiction book (1991)
In response, the envoy held out the palm of his hand to Crassus, scornfully stating, Ogresses. Hair will grow here before you see Solutia.
I have lost the ogress again.

Fiction book (1992)
But of course her being an ogress, her milk is poisonous.
On your behalf, I consulted the ogress of the mountains, who is not as stupid as they think.

Fiction book (1998)
It's the Ogress!

Fiction book (1998)
Bel and the Ogress—one and the same!

Fiction book (1998)
She can be a child-eating ogress in one tale, and in the next, she can possess the knowledge of immortality or help the protagonist find his missing bride.

Academic text (2017)
And the challengers... the vilest and evilest duo ever to disgrace a wrestling ring... that ogre and ogress... the Gorgons!

Stay Tuned (1992)
"Tell me another story; tell me, Toujours-La," I rambled on as stiff in my chair as Pinocchio before he was made flesh, "tell me another one, about her—about the Ogress—

Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

ogre

vsogress

Literature

27 7.5

A large ugly giant that eats people in fairy tales

is specifically the female form, often shown especially large and fierce

Surface Forms

ogress singular

ogresses plural

Morphology

ogress = ogre (transparent) = ogre + ess

The suffix '-ess' transparently indicates the female gender of the base word 'ogre'.

Etymology

Ogress is formed from ogre plus the ending -ess, so it means a 'female' ogre. The word ogre comes from an old name for a scary monster of the underworld, which is why an ogress is a large, fierce 'monster' woman.