marchioness Hear it!

marchioness definition

mar·chion·ess (mär′s̸hən is, mär′s̸hən es′)

noun

  1. the wife or widow of a marquess
  2. a lady whose rank in her own right equals that of a marquess

Etymology: ML marchionissa, fem. of marchio, prefect of the marches < marcha, border < Frank *marka, mark

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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