citizeness

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a woman who is a citizen; now rare except in historical contexts

   In the revolutionary court, the clerk addressed her formally as "citizeness."

Formed from citizen + the feminine suffix -ess and attested from the late 18th century. Citizen came through Middle English and Anglo-French citezein from Old French citeien, built on cite ("city"). In Revolutionary-era usage, citizeness also served as an English counterpart to French citoyenne; it is now historical or rare.

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