goddessn.
/ˈɡɒdᵻs/, /ˈɡɒdɛs/, U.S. /ˈɡɑdəs/ 1.
a. A female god, esp. in any of various polytheistic systems of belief. Cf. god n. 1.Frequently as the second element in appositive compounds, as angel, bitch-, fish-goddess, etc., or in compounds of which the first element indicates the sphere of activity or patronage, as earth, moon, rain, sea-goddess, etc.: see the first element. See also mother goddess n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > [noun] > goddess
queena1382
goddessa1387
dewessa1400
deessc1550
petty goddess1581
Devi1842
mata1887
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. l. 299 Isus..seilled into Egipt and tauȝte men here lettres..þerfore after her deth sche was i-made a goddesse [L. deificata est].
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 243 I noot wher she be womman or goddesse.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 14 A Goddess þat was clept Deane.
c1450 (c1350) Alexander & Dindimus (Bodl.) (1929) 690 Ȝe sain þat ceres þe falce Is a goodesse god.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Boke yf Eneydos xxii. sig. Fvi Proserpine of hell the gret goddesse.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. cxcij Such an vnstable and blind goddes is fortune.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. vi. 17 She In th' abiliments of the Goddesse Isis That day appeer'd. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 78 Taste this, and be henceforth among the Gods Thy self a Goddess . View more context for this quotation
1704 J. Swift Full Acct. Battel between Bks. in Tale of Tub 256 Goddess, said Momus, can you sit idly here [etc.]?
1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 194. ⁋2 This Temple..bore the Name of the Goddess Venus.
1773 G. Norton Let. 14 Jan. in F. Mason J. Norton & Sons (1968) 298 He makes a Sacrifice of them at the Altar of the Goddess Cloacina.
1835 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece I. v. 153 Theseus..is said to have found her dancing in the temple of the goddess.
1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess i. 21 Remembering how we three presented Maid Or Nymph, or Goddess [etc.].
1952 J. Kirkup & J. Shaw tr. P. Christian Hist. Pract. Magic I. iv. 272 The rustic festivities which celebrated in times gone by the goddess Ceres queen of the corn and Bacchus the god of wine, her husband.
2011 Independent 19 Jan. 30/2 The collectors employ other methods, most notably asking for the protection of the forest goddess Bonbibi, who is worshipped by both Hindus and Muslims.
b. With postmodifying of-phrase indicating the department of nature, or human activity or passion, over which a particular goddess is thought to rule.In this use the reference, unless there is indication to the contrary, is usually to Classical mythology. the goddess of love: Venus or Aphrodite. the goddess of wisdom: Minerva or Pallas Athene.
ΚΠ
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 805 The noble wommen of the toun..a pelrinage Gon forto preie thilke ymage Which the godesse of childinge is.
a1400 (?a1350) Seege Troye (Egerton) (1927) l. 1208 His moder was a goddes [c1450 Arms goddasse] of þe see.
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1046 In worship of venus goddesse of loue Doon maad an Auter and an oratorie.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry V f. lxiv The goddesse of warre called Bellona..hath these .iij. handmaides euer of necessitie attendyng on her, bloud, fyre, and famine.
1657 T. Manton Pract. Comm. Jude xxv. 562 They worshipped a..Goddess of wisdom, and fained that she was begotten by Jupiter of his own brain.
?a1676 T. Bell Nehemiah Tirshatha (1692) 162 The Heathen Venus their Godess of love and beauty, painted with a flaming heart in her hand.
c1720 N. Dubois & G. Leoni tr. A. Palladio Architecture IV. i. vii. 16 [There] were Castor and Pollux, the Goddess of Victory and Alexander the great.
1764 W. Harte Ess. Husbandry ii. 42 Nay, remissness in general..will be found to injure the land, as much as Ceres, the goddess of fertility and plenty, is reported to have hurt it.
1887 L. Beard & A. B. Beard How to amuse yourself & Others (1893) vi. 71 A remnant of the ceremonies in honor of Flora, the goddess of flowers.
1930 Nature Mag. Mar. 189/1 The goddess of wisdom, to whom the owl was dedicated.
1982 A. Desai Village by Sea xiii. 151 Prayers were said to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, in the hope that she would bless them in the coming new year.
2001 Art Room Catal. Spring Preview 16/1 The goddess Bast, goddess of love, fertility and joy.
2. A woman who is idealized, adored, or worshipped, esp. by a particular admirer.See also domestic goddess n. (b) at domestic adj. and n. Additions, household goddess n. (b) at household n. and adj. Compounds 2, sex goddess n. (b) at sex n.1 Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > woman > [noun]
wifeeOE
womaneOE
womanOE
queanOE
brideOE
viragoc1000
to wifeOE
burdc1225
ladyc1225
carlinec1375
stotc1386
marec1387
pigsneyc1390
fellowa1393
piecec1400
femalea1425
goddessa1450
fairc1450
womankindc1450
fellowessa1500
femininea1513
tega1529
sister?1532
minikinc1540
wyec1540
placket1547
pig's eye1553
hen?1555
ware1558
pussy?a1560
jade1560
feme1566
gentlewoman1567
mort1567
pinnacea1568
jug1569
rowen1575
tarleather1575
mumps1576
skirt1578
piga1586
rib?1590
puppy1592
smock1592
maness1594
sloy1596
Madonna1602
moll1604
periwinkle1604
Partlet1607
rib of man1609
womanship?1609
modicum1611
Gypsy1612
petticoata1616
runniona1616
birda1627
lucky1629
she-man1640
her1646
lost rib1647
uptails1671
cow1696
tittup1696
cummer17..
wife1702
she-woman1703
person1704
molly1706
fusby1707
goody1708
riding hood1718
birdie1720
faggot1722
piece of goods1727
woman body1771
she-male1776
biddy1785
bitch1785
covess1789
gin1790
pintail1792
buer1807
femme1814
bibi1816
Judy1819
a bit (also bundle) of muslin1823
wifie1823
craft1829
shickster?1834
heifer1835
mot1837
tit1837
Sitt1838
strap1842
hay-bag1851
bint1855
popsy1855
tart1864
woman's woman1868
to deliver the goods1870
chapess1871
Dona1874
girl1878
ladykind1878
mivvy1881
dudess1883
dudette1883
dudine1883
tid1888
totty1890
tootsy1895
floozy1899
dame1902
jane1906
Tom1906
frail1908
bit of stuff1909
quim1909
babe1911
broad1914
muff1914
manhole1916
number1919
rossie1922
bit1923
man's woman1928
scupper1935
split1935
rye mort1936
totsy1938
leg1939
skinny1941
Richard1950
potato1957
scow1960
wimmin1975
womyn1975
womxn1991
the mind > emotion > love > [noun] > one who loves too much > object of excessive or supreme devotion
goddessa1450
idol1562
a1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 1040 For certes she was that swete wife..Mi wor[l]des welfare and my goddesse.
1579 E. K. in E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Apr. 26 Gloss. Lauretta the diuine Petrarches Goddesse.
1640 R. Chamberlain Swaggering Damsell i. sig. C2 She is the goddesse of your sonnes idolatry.
1729 H. Carey Poems (ed. 3) 205 He call'd her his Goddess, she call'd him an Ass.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa III. lxiii. 306 All sweetly serene and easy was the lovely brow and charming aspect of my goddess.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xvi. 166 It is impossible to know any person that deserves to be her husband: she's too great a treasure for one man's possession: she's a goddess.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas I. i. v. 53 He..showed the goddess of my devotions the outside of the door.
1876 M. Oliphant Makers of Florence i. 18 Only looks had passed between the lad and his goddess.
1957 M. McCarthy Memories of Catholic Girlhood vi. 123 We had..a beautiful blond goddess of an Englishwoman with a nose like the reversed prow of a viking ship.
1972 G. Lucas et al. Amer. Graffiti (film script) 15 Cut over to G street, I've just seen a vision... She was a goddess..You've got to catch her!
2000 W. Calin Minority Literatures 48 The lass is his love, also his goddess and muse.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > theatregoer > [noun] > theatre audience > occupants of specific seat or place
scaffolder1597
nutcracker1602
groundling1604
understander1633
pit-mask1701
goddess1799
pittite1807
stall-holder1849
half-crowner1886
stallite1887
1799 ‘Crito’ Lett. Corr. Magistrates Edinb. & Provost Elder 35 Two scriblers, who amused for a few nights, the Goddesses of Stephen Kemble's Theatre.
1824 B. Hall Extracts Jrnl. Coasts Chili, Peru, & Mexico I. iii. 130 The gallery aloft, where the goddesses keep up an unceasing fire during the whole evening.
Compounds
C1. General attributive and appositive.
goddess-mother n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > [noun] > goddess > mother-goddess
goddess-mother1558
mother goddess1558
magna mater1710
Great Mother1735
mother goddess1853
1558 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Seuen First Bks. Eneidos vi. sig. Q.ijv Or thou, if any way there be, yf goddesse mother [L. diva creatrix] thyne Hath shewd thee how to shyft.
1662 R. D. in Gratiæ Theatrales Pref. sig. *3v I thought it best to get them [the Graces] to stand goddess-mothers jointly for all three [plays].
1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. i. 746 Thou, Goddess-Mother, with our Sire comply.
1855 C. Kingsley Heroes iii. 104 The voice which my goddess mother gave me.
1992 C. P. Estés Women who run with Wolves vi. 179 These human ‘Goddess-mothers,’..were later relegated by religion to the role of ‘godmother’.
goddess-worker n. rare
ΚΠ
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. iii. 43 It is the Wisdome whereby God worketh, which is the Goddesseworker [Fr. vne Deesse ouuriere].
2001 S. Sellers Myth & Fairy Tale 61 Writing, in this sense, is the goddess-worker of our miracles.
goddess worship n.
ΚΠ
1846 C. G. Finney Lect. Systematic Theol. xliii. 557 But overcoming the world implies that the spirit of this goddess-worship is broken.
2009 Church Times 22 May 24/5 Everything from eco-feminism and goddess worship through interfaith developments, to the spirituality of childhood, ageing, and dying.
C2. † goddess-born n. Classical Mythology Obsolete a person whose mother is a goddess; a hero or demigod; usually as a form of address.† goddess-train n. Obsolete a (notional) procession or succession of goddesses or of beautiful or admired women.
ΚΠ
1626 G. Sandys tr. Ovid Metamorphosis xiii. 258 O Goddesse-borne [L. nate dea], for thee the fate of Troy Her fall reserues.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 279 Are you alive, O Goddess born [L. nate dea]! she said, Or if a Ghost, then where is Hector's Shade?
1870 W. C. Bryant tr. Homer Iliad I. vi. 186 Achilles the great leader whom they call The goddess-born [Gk. θεᾶς ἐξέμμεναι].
ΚΠ
1598 B. Yong tr. J. de Montemayor Diana 96 She's waiting still vpon our Goddesse traine [Sp. la que a nuestra Dea ansi acompaña]: For chastitie worthie to weare a crowne.
1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey II. viii. 364 Modesty with-held the Goddess-train.
1850 Graham's Mag. Feb. 145/2 Religion and her goddess train their golden offerings pour.
Derivatives
ˈgoddess-like adj. and adv. [compare earlier godlike adj. and also godlike adv.]
ΚΠ
1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes (new ed.) f. 112 Be goddesse like, euen so her goddesse face, Might neuer change but still continue faire.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) i. xiii. sig. I5 Or that she, (goddesse like) would work this miracle in her selfe.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. ii. 8 [She] vndergoes More Goddesse-like, then Wife-like; such Assaults As would take in some Vertue. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost viii. 59 With Goddess-like demeanour forth she went. View more context for this quotation
1758 C. Lennox Henrietta II. v. iii. 208 What signifies attributing such goddess-like perfections to an obscure girl.
1873 Dublin Univ. Mag. Feb. 212/2 She is enveloped, goddess-like, in the most bewildering clouds.
1985 C. S. Manning With Ears opening like Morning Glories v. 108 Goddess-like, she inspires in Nina a desire to be different.
1990 I. M. Banks Use of Weapons (1992) iii. 289 It gives me such succor to confess to one so close to a goddesslike beauty.
ˈgoddessy adj. characteristic of or resembling a goddess.
ΚΠ
1907 W. W. Aulick in Judge's Libr. Aug. What could a goddessy creature like that girl see in a little two-by-four lawyer?
1928 Kansas City (Missouri) Star 8 Jan. d6/1 ‘We-e-ll—Clarissa isn't so bad—for a heavyweight—’ ‘Not so bad! Why, she's—’ ‘Sure!.. If you like 'em goddessy.’
1976 Texas Monthly Nov. 2 (advt.) I mean, how often does anyone get to look this goddessy?
2001 N.Y. Times 15 Apr. ix. 4/6 Elisa..is known for her ripped-up, whip-stitched, goddessy dresses.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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