marchioness
noun /ˌmɑːʃəˈnes/
/ˌmɑːrʃəˈnes/
- a woman who has the rank of a marquess
- the wife of a marquess
- the Marchioness of Bath
compare marquise
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from medieval Latin marchionissa, feminine of marchio(n-) ‘ruler of a border territory’, from marcha ‘march’.