Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
governoress. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
governoress, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
governoress in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
governoress you have here. The definition of the word
governoress will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
governoress, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Originally from Middle English governeresse, from Old French governeresse. In this form (with -o-; unlike governeress, governer seems to have never been more common than the -o- form) and later uses, directly from governor + -ess.
Noun
governoress (plural governoresses)
- (now nonstandard) A woman employed to educate children in private households.
- Synonym: governess
, Edinburgh:
Oliver & Boyd,
; and
Geo[rge] B[yrom] Whittaker, London,
page 17:
How are the following nouns improperly formed, and what should they be? viz.—Lifes, knifes, dwarves, mischieves—boxs, churchs, dishs, fishs—enemys, flys, skys, spys—louses, mouses, oxes, pennys—arcanums, datums, erratums, phænomenons—bacheloress, benefactoress, governoress—boys books, girls dolls, childs rattle—diligence sake; Jane’s, Margaret’s, and Isabella’s mother; John’s, Peter’s, and Frank’s books.]
, London: H. C. Todd,
,
page 91:
Tutoress] Properly tutress, as or has a masculine signification; as well might we write instructoress, governoress, &c.]
1855 January 4, “Who Is Mrs. Nightingale”, in D. P. Thompson, editor, Green Mountain Freeman, Montpelier, Vt., front page, column 6:[…] when the hospital established in London for sick governoresses was about to fail for want of proper management, she stepped forward and consented to be placed at its head. Derbyshire and Hampshire were exchanged for the narrow, dreary establishment in Harley street, to which she devoted all her time and fortune. While her friends missed her at assemblies, lectures, concerts, exhibitions and all the entertainments for taste and intellect with which London in its season abounds, she whose powers could have best appreciated these, was sitting beside the bed and soothing the last complaints of some poor, dying, homeless, querulous governess.
Jacob Zeiser,
page 52:
God, Gott, goddess ſtatt godess; actor, Schauſpieler, actress ſtatt actoress; hunter, Jäger, huntress ſtatt hunteress; governor, Statthalter, governess ſtatt governoress; sorcerer, Zauberer, sorceress ſtatt sorcereress; abbot, Abt, abbess ſtatt abbotess.- God, god, goddess instead of godess; actor, actor, actress instead of actoress; hunter, hunter, huntress instead of hunteress; governor, governor, governess instead of governoress; sorcerer, sorcerer, sorceress instead of sorcereress; abbot, abbot, abbess instead of abbotess.]
1869 November 13, Caroline Conrad, “The Forged Check”, in The Lincoln County News, volume 4, number 34, Fayetteville, Tenn., front page, column 3:Cleora Duhamel was a belle, an heiress, and motherless. Her father, a wealthy merchant, engrossed in business, imagined that money would do anything, and so left his only daughter to tutors and governoresses, masters and mistresses, who were well paid for, as nearly as possible spoiling a girl who was naturally self-willed and high-tempered, but had also a warm heart and a good many generous impulses.
, column 3:All the plurals of nouns were given with strict correctness—bench, benches; enemy, enemies; mouse, mice; sky, skies; calf, calves; thief, thieves; pony, ponies; donkey, donkeys, &c. The same may be said of the genders, except that the feminine of governor was by one pupil made “governoress.”]
1880 March 6, “A Sarcasm of Fate”, in Martinsburg Independent, Martinsburg, W.V., page 3, columns 2–3:She performed her duties as no governoress had ever performed them, and the twins progressed to their mother’s complete satisfaction. […] She is nothing but the children’s governess; […]
1882 January 20, “Dramatic Entertainment. “The Romance of a Poor Young Man.””, in The New North-West, volume 13, number 30 (whole 654), Deer Lodge, Mont., page , column 3:CAST OF THE PLAY: […] Mlle Helouin—a governoress..Miss May Hodges
1889 May 12, Mary Gay Humphreys, “Little Aristocrats. Princely Apartments for Sons and Daughters of Millionaires. Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt’s Nursery. How Children Are Disciplined Here and in England. A Young Girl’s Beautiful Rooms”, in The Pittsburg Dispatch, Pittsburg, Pa., page 15, column 5:Accordingly a substitute is provided. It is the nursery governess. She is a woman of gentle manners, if with limited education. This is her profession. She has passed from family to family. All her antecedents are known. She has a professional pedigree which is open to inspection, so carefully is chosen the woman who is to be governoress of this mimic realm. She has no menial offices to perform, the nursery maids do these under her supervision. […] This position she keeps until the education is sufficiently advanced to transfer them to the governess.
1894 April 7, “The Vanderbilt Children”, in The Ketchum Keystone, volume XIII, number 17, Ketchum, Ida., page , column 2:The music lessons, which are at any price from $25.00 to $50.00 a quarter, and on the unemployed afternoons, if any are found, there is the instruction governoress, a lady who takes the children to walk and who, while walking, is supposed to instruct them in the knowledge of the various objects they see.
1894 November 3, “The Czarina’s Condition Serious”, in Wilkes-Barre Record, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., page 2, column 1:Her friend and former governoress, Mme. Descalle, a Belgian, has been with her throughout the ordeal of the last week.
1895 December 5, “American Missionaries Safe”, in The Indian Citizen, volume X, number 32, Atoka, Indian Territory (now Okla.), page , column 3:The United States minister, Alexander W. Terrell, has received a dispatch from Antab announcing the safe arrival there of the American missionaries belonging to the central Turkey mission (Dr. and Mrs. Americus Fuller, the Rev. Charles S. Sanders, Mrs. M. Trowbridge, Miss Ellen M. Pierce and the English governoress, Miss McDonald.)
1902 April 10, The Tuskegee News, volume XXXVII, number 3, Tuskegee, Ala., page , column 2:Miss Holmes, of Pensacola, is the governoress in the family of Mr. J. C. Pinkston, of Shorter.
1902 September 7, George Ade, “Modern Fables By George Ade. The Modern Fable of the Troubles of the Unemployed and the Danger of Changing from Bill to Harold.”, in Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise, Ida., page 16, column 5:After she began to have a Governoress for Stuyvesant Jimpson and an Imported Nurse for the little Evelyn Jimpson her memory began to blur in spots and she couldn’t have done up the Dishes to save her life.
1902 December 2, “Notable Novels of the Year”, in Reno Evening Gazette, volume LIV, number 48, Reno, Nev., page 3:It takes the form of the revery of a London bachelor, who from his club window watches the courtship of a nursery governoress and a poor artist, becomes their peace maker in time of quarrel, relieves the poverty of their minature house, and constitutes himself the guardian of their small son on his daily visits to the gardens.
1902 December 11, “Commencement Exercises: Pro and Con Club Entertainment in Osceola Hall”, in The Berkshire Evening Eagle, volume 11, number 151, Pittsfield, Mass., page 5, column 3:Miss Heloise Vittoria Lernalotta, (lately governoress to the Serene Highness, the Princesses Clothilde and Amalie of Saxe-Mecklimburger-Schweitzer, Carlsbad-Sprudelsaltz, Siedlitz, an-dem-Spree) instructress in vocal and instrumental music, drawing and painting, French and Italian, ancient and modern history, belles-lettres, calisthenics, etiquette, etc.
1905 March 22, “Griscom Suicided: Son of Philadelphia Millionaire Whose Disappearance Caused Sensation Jumps From Steamship”, in The Daily Democrat, volume XXXIII, number 96, Natchez, Miss., page 6, column 3:Later it was learned that Elsie Hansom, who had been a governores in the Griscom family had preceded young Griscom and there were rumors of a contemplated elopement, […]
1908 July 14, “American Woman Hurt in Auto Wreck. Accident Near Munich—Chauffeur Killed.”, in The Hartford Courant, volume LXXII, Hartford, Conn., page 11, column 3:Count C. A. Wachtmeister, the Swedish consul general at Cairo, Mrs. Maria Lord of New York and her 10-years-old son, Andreas, and Miss Engquist, the governoress, were seriously injured.
1909 June 12, “Training a Future Queen”, in The Roanoke Times, volume XLV, number 140, Roanoke, Va., page five, column 2:Wilhelmina’s Governess Tells of Her Majesty’s Girlhood. […] These articles are being written by her governoress, who was with the little princess from her fifth year until she grew to womanhood.
1909 September 25, Concordia Daily Kansan, Concordia, Kan., page two, column 2:“Is the old white hen to be sent away for the summer ma?” “I don’t think so, Harry. What makes you ask?” was the reply, “Well this morning I heard papa tell the new governoress I heard papa te take her out for a spin in his new auto just as soon as he sent the old hen away for the summer.”
1910 May 9, The Philadelphia Inquirer, volume 162, number 129, Philadelphia, Pa., page 14, column 8:GOVERNORESS or companion, highly educated; German, speaks English and French.
1910 June 28, “ Dublin, Ind.”, in The Richmond Palladium, volume XXXV, number 232, Richmond, Ind., page six, column 1:Miss Dora Stant assumed her duties as governoress at the Soldiers and Sailors Orphans Home, Monday.
1911 June 8, “Properly Characterized”, in The Altoona Times, Altoona, Pa., page 4, column 2:Following the recent episode at Annapolis, in which a cadet was reproved for appearing at a hop with a daughter of a professor at Yale who was engaged as governoress in an officer’s family, and other exhibitions of caste in both services, it was time that some such plain pronouncement as that made by the president in this case informed the military class that there is no place in this country for such artificial barriers based on social or racial prejudices.
1911 July 10, “Emilie Grigsby a Regular Visitor at Palace and Close Friend of Royal Family”, in The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, Calif., page 4, columns 2–3:She also gave a reception at the house now leased by her in Mayfair in honor of Countess Dussau, the French secretary of Queen Mary and governoress of the royal children, through whom she made her acquaintance with royalty.
1970 December 16, St. Petersburg Times, volume 87, number 145, St. Petersburg, Fla., page 8-C, column 1:SURVEY Workers, trainees ok $66 GOVERNORESS, 5 days $60 (fee)
1973 March 20, “Drug Death Confirmed”, in Evening Journal, volume 41, number 67, Wilmington, Del., page 34, column 3:He did so after jurors heard testimony from actor Burt Reynolds, Miss Miles and the Governoress for the actress’ son.
1976 October 6, William B. Collins, “Pinter’s ‘Innocents’ has lost its bloom”, in The Philadelphia Inquirer, volume 295, number 98, Philadelphia, Pa., page 7-D, column 3:Memory may not be serving well here, but it seems that much less is made of the unspeakable things that went on between Peter Quint and the former governoress, Miss Jessel, whose shade also haunts her successor.
1977 October 22, The Hartford Courant, volume CXL, number 295, Hartford, Conn., page 48, column 7:GOVERNESS, Widower needs live in for supervision and care of three small children. Liberal salary and live in benefits included. 2 years experience as Governoress or related occupation and references required.
1979 June 25, Celia Andrews, “On my week-end TV: Cost of care is paid by pleasure”, in Western Daily Press, volume 242, number 39,181, page 7, column 1:Squire Mallen in The Mallens (ITV) had no past or present, or even future, except as a man of many affairs who turned to a very plain governoress when all his other women deserted him in misfortune.
1982 February 20, Jeannie Rasmussen, “ French Lieutenant’s Woman (R)”, in Reno Evening Gazette, Reno, Nev., page 3C, column 2:The movie [The French Lieutenant’s Woman] is at its best in the Victorian segments, telling the story of Sarah, an ex-governoress made outcast by of her love for a Frenchman.
1986 December 24, “From little terror to Princess Perfect . . .”, in Western Evening Herald, number 31,478, Plymouth, page 29, column 2:It took a firm governoress, boarding school and a finishing school to get rid of the rough edges — and, by her late teens, the young Princess [Alexandra] was emerging as a beautiful and serene woman.
- (dated) A female governor.
- Synonyms: (dated) governess, (rare) gubernatrix
1869 February 25, Redpath , “Redpath Visits the State Capital. a. d. 1900.”, in Iron County Register, volume II, number 29, Ironton, Mo., page , column 2:I was introduced by Mrs. Onward, the Governoress, to Mrs. Sapient, the Speakeress of the House.
1873, W[illiam] S[tarbuck] Mayo, “Mrs. Stichen’s Boudoir—A Morning Call—Just touch-and-go—Society here and abroad”, in Never Again, New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, , page 541:“My husband,” continued Mrs. Stichen, “says to me—you know that he has plenty of sense, if he is a little coarse—he says, ‘Lizzie, you have tried society now, and it don’t pay. Why don’t you dive into philanthropy? Get yourself in as Directoress, or Governoress, or Presidentess, or some thing or other, and draw on me for the expenses?’ […]”
1883 December 28, The Larned Chronoscope, volume 6, number 42, Larned, Kan., page , column 1:There is a strong effort being made to appoint Mrs. Dunway governoress of Washington territory, and the politicians are preparing a petition to President Arthur to that effect.
1888 November 2, “Current News”, in The New North-West, volume 20, number 19 (whole 1,008), Deer Lodge, Mont., page , column 7:Twenty-one women the other day nominated Alice D. Stockton for Governoress of Massachusetts.
1890 December 14, “The Epoch of Regencies. This is the Condition of Things in Europe at the Present Time.”, in The Pittsburg Dispatch, Pittsburg, Pa., page 4, column 5:These are the governments of Holland, Spain, Bavaria, Servia and Brunswick. In the first named country a woman reigns for the first time since “Governoress” Margaret of Parma, more than 300 years ago, and in Spain another young German Princess is holding most successful sway.
1892 May 6, “Amusements”, in The Evening Express, Los Angeles, Calif., page 4, column 1:The New York World is a “mean, spiteful old thing.” It says: “The female suffrage bill has passed the House at Albany, but there is no cause for alarm. Our laws will not be enacted by Assemblywomen and Senatoresses for some time to come, and we shall not have to ask a Governoress to veto objectional legislation.”
1896 May 8, “Good Bye, Kingman Schools”, in The Kingman Weekly Journal, volume 5, number 693, Kingman, Kan., page , column 2:One pleasing feature is that the young men outnumbered the young ladies who graduated. This is the first time in the history of the high school that such a thing has happened, and goes to show that in the new era said to be just dawning, when the Mary Ellens and the Tirzah Ann’s shall rule, that the boys—six of them at least—will not have to be cooks or chambermaids, but are eligible for clerkships and stenographers to the mayoress, the governoress, the senatoress and the many other esses usually attached to people who hold high official positions.
1897 October 23, “Woman Governor: Not Elected, But Empowered With Executive Authority Nevertheless”, in The Dayton Evening Herald, volume XVII, Dayton, Oh., page 1, column 4:For ten days a woman was Governoress of Idaho; not as a result of election, but Governor nevertheless, empowered with executive authority, and exercising it. This woman was Miss Margaret Reeve, the private secretary to Secretary of State Lewis. All the State officers from Governor down, were called away, and State documents, including requisition papers were signed in blank form. When the lady realized the responsibility that had been thrust upon her, she wanted to close up the State House and go home.
1898 June 7, “Personal Paragraphs”, in The Times, number 8289, Philadelphia, Pa., page 4, column 6:Mrs. L. P. Johnson, of Idaho Fallls, Idaho, has been nominated for Governor—or, perhaps, it should be Governoress—by the Prohibitionists of that State.
1901 January 2, “Telegraphic News”, in Nanaimo Free Press, volume XXVII, number 219, Nanaimo, B.C., front page:Princess Beatrice in her capacity of Governoress of Wight and the Duke of Connaught, representing the Queen, awaited Lord Roberts, whose arm was still in a sling as a result of being thrown from his horte in South Africa.
1905 November 2, Lowell Mellett, “The Boarder: Absence of Ladies Causes Him to Change Again”, in St. Louis Post-Dispatch, volume 58, number 73, St. Louis, Mo., page 14:Women’s rights! I’ll bet if a woman were elected Governor there would be none but male clerks and stenographers in State House. ‘Women are so much more bother,’ the Governoress would say.
1909 March 1, “Benson Now Acting Governor of Oregon; Takes Oath of Office with Simple Ceremony; First Official Act Is the Appointment of S. A. Kozer Insurance Commissioner—New State Executive Will Serve in Two Capacities”, in Oregon Daily Journal, volume VII, number 310, Portland, Ore., page 1:Secretary of State Benson today became the third governor that Oregon has had in the last three days. Chamberlain held the office up to about 12 o’clock midnight Sunday, at which time Mrs. C. B. Sheldon became “governoress” of the greatest and only state that ever had that kind of a ruler.
1909 November 21, “If Wives Should Take the Places of Their Husbands”, in The Sun, volume CXLVI, number 5, Baltimore, Md., page 4, column 1:Think of the talent that has been wasted in this country of ours by not allowing the wives to run things half the time. There’s Mrs. Harriman, who was never given the opportunity to build a single railroad, Mrs. Rockefeller hasn’t even one little trust of her own, Mrs. Hughes has never acted as Governoress of New York for one single day.
1910 May 12, Frank W. Taylor Jr., “Twinkling Stars”, in The St. Louis Star, volume 27, number 9413, St. Louis, Mo., page 12, column 4:Longworth for Governor of Ohio. There’s one way Nick can probably get it. Elect Mrs. Nick governoress and people will naturally refer to him as Governor the same as we do to the wife of a king gentleman as queen.
1911 January 15, “The Lady Governor of Jersey”, in The Sun, volume CXLVIII, number 60, Baltimore, Md., page 6, column 3:Our compliments to Governoress Ida Phillips, of New Jersey. It will be a new sensation for that old State to have a lady Governor, even if it is for only twelve hours.
1911 January 31, Myra Williams Jarrell, “Ramblings”, in The Santa Fe Red Ball, volume 1, number 1, Topeka, Kan., page 3, column 1:There is one bill I shall present, when I am a member of the House of Representatives, and that is, that there be an appropriation for the purpose of perpetuating the recipe for salt rising bread, against that contingency which may arise when I shall have yielded to the persuasion of my constituency and have become a candidate for governoress.
1912 November 13, “What Will Hutchinson Be Like 500 Years from Now”, in The Hutchinson Daily Gazette, volume XI, number 142, section “Some Banana Orchards”, page five, column 1:Will the inhabitants of Kansas, if this state be in existence be worrying at that time over who is elected governor and will the candidates be claiming the state by so small a majority as both Hodges and Capper are now? This brings up the question, will it be a governor or governoress. Maybe Mesdames Smith and Jones will be quarreling over the result of their election, while their husbands fret over what they can wear at the times their spouses take charge of the highest place in the state.