| 释义 |
princess, n.|ˈprɪnsɛs, prɪnˈsɛs|
Also 5 prinses, Sc. prynsace, 5–7 princes.
[ME. prinˈcesse, a. F. princesse (15th c. in Littré), fem. of prince: see -ess1. So med.L. principissa (1338 in Du Cange), It. principessa.
The e in the second syllable is usually pronounced clear when unstressed, and by some with secondary or primary stress, to avoid confusion with prince's, princes.]
I.
1. A female sovereign or ruler; a queen. arch.
c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xv. 70 He wedded þe princesse, whilk was called Cadrige. c1470Henry Wallace viii. 1381 Ingland sen syn has boucht it der enewch, Thocht scho had beyn a queyn or a prynsace. 1483Cath. Angl. 291/2 A Pryncesse, principissa. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 262 b, I wolde..moue them to folowe the example of y⊇ noble princesse saynt Edithe. 1562A. Scott Poems, To Q. Mary 7 Welcum! oure plesand princes, maist of pryce. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, v. v. 58 She shall be to the happinesse of England, An aged Princesse. 1709Swift Adv. Relig. ⁋14 So excellent a princess, as the present queen. 1842Macaulay Ess., Fredk. Gt. (1865) II. 271/1 The Empress Queen took a very different course. Though the haughtiest of princesses,..she forgot in her thirst for revenge..the dignity of her race.
2. The wife of a prince. princess dowager: see dowager.
c1400Destr. Troy 8473 Therat Ector was angry,..Repreuet the prinses with a pale face: With his worshipful wife wrathit hym þen. 1447O. Bokenham Seyntys (Roxb.) 8 Whan Olibrius hyr profryd his wyf to be And that she shuld be clepyd a pryncesse. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 319 The Prince and princes his wife, with their yong sonne Richard..entered into their Shippes. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 70 Katherine no more Shall be call'd Queene, but Princesse Dowager, And Widdow to Prince Arthur. 1834James J. Marston Hall xxi, The princess dowager..is every day presenting some new petition. 1885[see prince 1].
3. The daughter or grand-daughter of a sovereign; a female member of a royal or princely family: see prince 6. princess of the blood: see blood n. 9. Princess royal, (a title that may be conferred upon) the eldest daughter of the sovereign in Great Britain; also formerly in Prussia.
1508Fisher Seven Penit. Ps. title-p., Compyled..at the exhortacion..of the moost excellent Princesse Margarete Countesse of Rychemount and Derby. 1556Chron. Gr. Friars (Camden) 32 The second of Lent [1525], the kynge, qwene, and princes [Mary], with all other stattes both spirituall and temporall, came to Powlles. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, iv. iv. 211 Wrong not her Byrth, she is a Royall Princesse. 1626Massinger Rom. Actor iii. i, She..esteems herself Neglected when the princesses of the blood On every coarse employment are not ready To stoop to her commands. 1646–7Cal. St. Papers, Dom. 525 The Princess Royal has been very well received, the King [of France] says he never saw a more handsome princess. 1650Chas. II in Nicholas Papers (Camden) I. 211 If you finde our deere brother att the Hague, you shall entreat our sister the Princesse Royall to use her best endeavours to perswade his returne into Fraunce. 1708Lond. Gaz. No. 4494/2 (At Berlin) Their Majesties, the Prince and Princess-Royal..performed the usual Ceremony. 1756–7tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) I. 267 Soon after the birth of the prince of Piedmont, the princess of Carignan being at court, a celebrated female singer..began Son finite le Speranze. 1765Blackstone Comm. I. iii. 216 The princess Sophia dying before queen Anne, the inheritance thus limited descended on her son and heir king George the first. 1819Times 25 May, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent was safely delivered yesterday morning, at Kensington-palace, of a Princess, at a quarter past four o'clock. 1879Whitaker's Alm. 67 Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lorne). 1905Lond. Gaz. 9 Nov. 7495 The King has been graciously pleased to declare that His Majesty's eldest Daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar (Duchess of Fife) shall henceforth bear the style and title of Princess Royal.
4. Princess Regent.
a. A princess who is regent during the minority or the absence of the nominal sovereign (in quot. 1714 applied to the Princess Ulrike Eleonore, sister of Charles XII of Sweden, who was Regent during his absence).
b. The wife of the Prince Regent.
1714Lond. Gaz. No. 5210/1 It has been proposed in the Assembly of the States to enter into a Treaty with the Allies of the North during the King's Absence... But the Princess-Regent has declared that she cannot consent to any Negotiations of Peace without Instructions from his Majesty. 1812Chron. in Examiner 4 May 282/2 The Princess Regent..should go before the Prince Regent.
II.
5. a. Applied to a female, or anything personified as feminine, that is likened to a princess in pre-eminence or authority; formerly often to the Virgin Mary, also to female deities, etc.
a1380Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xxviii. 45 Heil puyred princesse of paramour, Heil Blosme of Brere, Brihtest of ble. c1407Lydg. Reson & Sens. 2234 With the cheff princesse of kynde, Which that called ys nature. 1423Jas. I Kingis Q. xcix, Pitouse princes, and planet merciable! 1609Bible (Douay) 1 Kings xv. 13 He [Asa] removed also Maaca his mother, that she should not be princess in the sacrifices of Priapus. 1645–52Boate Irel. Nat. Hist. 64 The Liffie is the princess of the Irish-Rivers. 1678Yng. Man's Call. 73 This is the day of his Saviours resurrection, the flower of time, a princess amongst all other daies. 1898Westm. Gaz. 23 Feb. 4/3 The princess of milliners and dress⁓maker to the Princess of Wales.
b. Used as a form of address to a woman or girl. colloq.
1924J. Buchan Three Hostages xviii. 254, I have waked you from sleep, my princess. Therefore so far it is good. 1968J. Symons Man whose Dreams came True i. v. 42 ‘This is celebration night, Princess.’ He had called her Princess the whole evening. 1969A. Laski Dominant Fifth iii. 120 Ah come on, princess, you're being morbid. 1970J. Aiken Embroidered Sunset i. 7 It was one of Uncle Wilbie's pleasantries to address Lucy as Princess. 1972R. Ludlum Osterman Weekend i. 12 Hey, Princess—get your brothers out and help your mother with the smaller bags.
6. A size of roofing slate, 24 inches by 14.
1878D. C. Davies Slate & Slate Quarry. 136 Princesses..Duchesses..Marchionesses..Countesses.
7. attrib. and Comb. (chiefly appositive), as princess-nun, princess-president, princess-priest, princess-queen; princess ring, princess (tele)phone, princess-worship.
1594Marlowe & Nashe Dido 1, Till that a Princesse priest conceau'd by Mars, Shall yeeld to dignitie a dubble birth. 1809Malkin Gil Blas iv. iv. ⁋4 Your subjects..may ask of you a princess-queen, descended from a long line of kings. 1865Ruskin Sesame ii. §61 (1907) 69 [The] simple princess-life of happy Nausicaa. 1880Archæologia Cant. XIII. 89 Mary, daughter of Edward I, and princess-nun of Amesbury. 1962M. & G. Gordon Journey with Stranger (1963) iii. 28 If you want a good bargain in princess rings, go down New Road in Bangkok. 1966B. Glemser Dear Hungarian Friend viii. 139 She..picked up the azure blue Princess telephone, and said, ‘Hello?’ 1969D. E. Westlake Up your Banners (1970) xxxi. 210 We had to go next door and use Mrs. Lupowitz' Princess phone, a skittering pink beast that traveled all over its waxed table..whenever anybody tried to dial it. 1972G. Baxt Burning Sappho ii. 42 He'd been watching Pat circling her gold princess phone for ten minutes. 1973M. & G. Gordon Informant iii. 13 She was..constantly twisting a princess ring from Thailand. 1973Sat. Rev. Society (U.S.) Mar. 70/1 Colored phones and such models as the lighter and smaller ‘Princess’ and the ‘Trimline’ (with the dial mechanism in the handset). 1976M. Machlin Pipeline ii. 29 Brandon opened the chest and removed a brown princess telephone from it.
8. princess (or princesse) dress, a lady's robe of which the lengths of the bodice and skirt are cut in one piece; also applied to modifications of this shape; so princess cut, princess frock, princess line, princess polonaise, princess robe, princess-shape, princess skirt, princess tunic, etc.; also princess-shaped adj., and princess adj. or ellipt. = princess-shaped.
1867in A. Adburgham Shops & Shopping (1964) xi. 119 Princess breakfast dress. 1872Young Englishwoman Oct. 541/1 A long princess-tunic. Ibid. 546/1 A lovely Princess dress, with cape. 1877in A. Adburgham Shops & Shopping (1964) xvi. 178 The Princess cut. 1879Webster Suppl., Princesse, a.,..a term applied to a ladies' costume, made with a train flowing from the shoulders. 1879Mrs. A. G. F. E. James Ind. Househ. Managem. 14 Half a dozen white morning wrappers made Princesse shape. 1883Pall Mall G. 31 Dec. 6/1 A princesse dress of severe simplicity. 1887Daily News 14 Oct. 6/1 The dress is princess-shaped at the back. 1898Ibid. 15 Oct. 6/4 Some gowns are plain, others princess, others double-skirted. 1899Ibid. 15 July 7/4 The princess dress is rarely seen, but the long princess tunic, or polonaise, has come to stay. 1900Bladud 17 Oct. 6/2 A Princess skirt sounds an anomaly, but it..is nothing more or less than an abbreviated robe; it comes up more or less deeply towards the bust and is met by the ubiquitous bolero. 1960C. W. Cunnington et al. Dict. Eng. Costume 172/1 Princess dress,..a style popularly associated with the Princess of Wales when c. 1878–80 it was very fashionable. 1964McCall's Sewing i. 5/1 A narrow centre panel, often seen in a princess-line dress, will add height. 1968J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 25 Princess, a line which follows the curves of the body..darted for shape but with no seam at the waistline. 1973Times 15 Nov. 1/3 The wedding dress was in pure white silk in the traditional Princess line.
Hence † ˈprincess v. Cookery, trans. to dress (meat) in a certain way: see quot. Obs.
1769J. Skeat Art Cookery 8 Sweetbreads Princess'd... Inlay them with the lean of ham, and carrot cut thin, three rows in each sweetbread. These must be done in an oven, and a good ragout sauce in the dish, with parsley chopt fine. A Leg of Lamb Princes'd. Take a fine white leg, and inlay it with ham, carrot, and chopt parsley [etc.]. |