duchesses

Noun

duchess (plural duchesses)

1. The wife or widow of a duke.
   • The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have ended months of intense speculation by announcing they are expecting their first child, but were forced to share their news earlier than hoped because of the Duchess's admission to hospital on Monday.2012 December 3, Caroline Davies, The Guardian
2. The female ruler of a duchy.

See all 4 meanings of duchess

Noun

duchesse (countable and uncountable, plural duchesses)

1. (countable) A French duchess.
   • Ary Scheffer, the drawing-master of the young Orleans princesses, offered to go with Thiers and procure him an audience of the duc or duchesse, or Madame Adélaïde.1877 December 15, Emily Crawford, “M. Thiers: A Sketch from Life”, in Littell’s Living Age, volume CXXXV / fifth series, volume XX, number 1748, Boston, Mass.: Littell and Gay, page 679, column 2
2. (countable) A type of dressing table with a swing glass.
   • One morning, during my first week at school, I sneaked into Mum and Dad's bedroom, opened the top drawer of the duchesse, where the coins ‘brought back from the war’ were kept, and helped myself to a handful.1982, Janet Frame, An Angel at my Table, Virago, published 2024, page 22