countess
noun /ˈkaʊntəs/, /ˈkaʊntes/
/ˈkaʊntəs/, /ˈkaʊntes/
- a woman who has the rank of a count or an earl
- the wife of a count or an earl
- the Earl and Countess of Rosebery
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French contesse, from late Latin comitissa, feminine of comes, comit- ‘companion, overseer, attendant’ (in late Latin ‘person holding a state office’), from com- ‘together with’ + it- ‘gone’ (from the verb ire ‘go’).