rectress
/ˈrɛktrɪs/ /rɛkˈtrɛs/(also rectoress)
noun
1A female ruler, governor, or head of an institution (especially a convent or school).
2The wife of the rector of a parish. Now also: a female rector.
- N.E.D. (1904) labels this use ‘ informal ’..
Origin
Late 16th century; earliest use found in Thomas Nashe (d. c1601), writer. From rector + -ess: see -tress.