Etymology: < lectorn. + -esssuffix1 (suggested by French lectrice: see lectricen.).
A female reader.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1867 A. I. ThackerayVillage on Cliff 35 ‘She advanced through the countries of Devon, Somerset and Gloucester’..says the little lectress, in a loud disgusted voice.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1902; most recently modified version published online March 2022).