Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The wife or widow of a marquess.
- noun A noblewoman ranking above a countess and below a duchess.
- noun Used as a title for such a noblewoman.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The wife or widow of a marquis.—2. A size of slate measuring 22 inches by 11.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The wife or the widow of a marquis; a woman who has the rank and dignity of a marquis.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The wife of a
marquess .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a noblewoman ranking below a duchess and above a countess
- noun the wife or widow of a marquis
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Lady Florimel wept incessantly for three days; on the fourth she looked out on the sea and thought it very dreary; on the fifth she found a certain gratification in hearing herself called the marchioness; on the sixth she tried on her mourning and was pleased; on the seventh she went with the funeral and wept again; on the eighth came Lady Bellair, who on the ninth carried her away.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 15, No. 85, January, 1875 Various
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Lady Florimel wept incessantly for three days; on the fourth she looked out on the sea and thought it very dreary; on the fifth she found a certain gratification in hearing herself called the marchioness; on the sixth she tried on her mourning, and was pleased; on the seventh she went with the funeral and wept again; on the eighth came Lady Bellair, who on the ninth carried her away.
Malcolm George MacDonald 1864
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One assumes there are many important moments in the life of a marchioness, which is the British aristocratic title that comes after duchess.
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Of course, to become a marchioness was a substantial lure as well, especially when Raoul talked of the family estates in the Loire.
The Dressmaker Posie Graeme-Evans 2010
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The marchioness was a lady with a passion for bridge, and an intense admiration for Adrien Leroy.
Adrien Leroy Charles Garvice
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The widow of a marquis, whom you should by rights call a marchioness dowager (but we overlook it -- you meant no harm) is entitled (in any hotel that we know or frequent) to go in to dinner whenever, and as often, as she likes.
Frenzied Fiction Stephen Leacock 1906
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The marchioness was a woman of the world, while her husband's interests were confined to his books.
Memoirs of Casanova — Volume 29: Florence to Trieste Giacomo Casanova 1761
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The marchioness was a woman of the world, while her husband's interests were confined to his books.
The Complete Memoirs of Jacques Casanova Giacomo Casanova 1761
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England, the same order of succession which justice required, was also the most conformable to public interest; and there was not on any side any just ground for doubt or deliberation: that when these three princesses were excluded by such solid reasons, the succession devolved on the marchioness of Dorset, elder daughter of the French queen and the duke of Suffolk: that the next heir of the marchioness was the lady Jane
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part C. From Henry VII. to Mary David Hume 1743
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"No," the duchess admitted, "but it so happens that your grandmother the marchioness was my particular friend.
Ungrateful Governess Balogh, Mary 1988
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