empress

noun

em·​press ˈem-prəs How to pronounce empress (audio)
1
: the wife or widow of an emperor
2
: a woman who is the sovereign or supreme monarch of an empire

Examples of empress in a Sentence

the Emperor and Empress of Japan Catherine the Great was Empress of Russia.
Recent Examples on the Web Last year, Ukrainian authorities took down a statue of the Russian empress Catherine the Great in the city, as part of attempts to remove emblems of historical Russian influence in Ukraine, The Post reported. Jintak Han, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2023 Isabelle Huppert, in a mad red wig, portrays a former empress of the silent screen, Odette Chaumette, who makes Norma Desmond look like a blushing maiden. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2023 Retreat from the world Abandoned by Napoleon, the former empress retreated from public life to her private residence at Malmaison, outside Paris. Nathan Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023 Another drawing depicts a chicken egg sailing from darkness toward light with a small posse of ball bearings and the serene dignity of an empress. Susan Tallman, The New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2023 This reference to the year the Russian empress Catherine the Great, with Prussia and Austria, annexed a third of Poland causes Dmitry to burst out in rage. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 24 July 2023 These include goblets engraved with double-headed eagles or the insignia and portraits of Russian empresses. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 26 June 2023 Newspapers called her the queen, or sometimes the empress, of crafting. Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023 Sofia Richie Grainge—empress of the quiet luxury movement—is back with another effortless, elevated look for our summer mood boards. Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 1 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'empress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English emperice, emperes (with assimilation of the suffix to -esse -ess), borrowed from Anglo-French emperice, empereis, going back to Late Latin imperātrīc-, imperātrīx (Latin, "female general [used ironically]"), from Latin imperāre "to give orders, exercise authority, hold political power" + -trīc-, -trīx, feminine agent suffix — more at emperor

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of empress was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near empress

Cite this Entry

“Empress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empress. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

empress

noun
em·​press ˈem-prəs How to pronounce empress (audio)
1
: the wife or widow of an emperor
2
: a woman who is the ruler of an empire
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