marchioness:
(also ‘marquise‘, said as ‘mar. keez‘— for the right pronunciation of this word, please click here; plural: ‘marchionesses‘; pronunciation: the letters ‘ch’ rhyme with the letters ‘sh’ in “she” — for the pronunciation of this word, please click here; male: ‘marquis’/’marquess’)
a marchioness of the past
the wife or widow of a marquis which is a middle social rank given to a noble man of Europe;
a title given to a rich noble woman in some parts of Europe,
the present day Marchioness of Worcester, UK
In the past, a male warden of a ‘march’, the border land of a territory/region with another, was called a marquis or marquess and his wife was called a marchioness; however, the title ‘marchioness’ was not very well known to ordinary people.
The Most Honourable Marquess/Marquis and the Marchioness went out into the woods on a three-day hunting trip!
The marchionesses of the past have been portrayed as young, beautiful, kind and innocent in stories and paintings, but the fact, according to some historians, is that they were as shrewd, cunning and jealous as any woman could be.
Male ——————– female
lord lady
duke duchess
marquess/
marquis marchioness
earl countess
count countess
baron baroness
*A ‘peer’, in this context, is a noble man of high social rank; and a ‘peeress’ is a noble woman of high social rank.
