duchess C2+ Topic:People & Society US /ˈdʌtʃəs/ UK /ˈdʌtʃɪs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun the wife or widow of a duke, or a woman holding a duchy in her own right The duchess hosted a grand ball at her country estate. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the wife or widow of a... noblewomanpeeress ↔ Opposites duke Word family Related forms dukeduchyduchesse Etymology AI details From Old French 'duchesse', feminine of 'duc' ('duke'), from Latin 'dux' ('leader'), from 'ducere' ('to lead'). duchesse Old French dux Latin ducere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # duchess **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈdʌtʃəs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈdʌtʃɪs/ ## Meanings 1. the wife or widow of a duke, or a woman holding a duchy in her own right ## Examples - The duchess hosted a grand ball at her country estate. ## Synonyms - noblewoman - peeress ## Antonyms - duke ## Related Forms - duke - duchy - duchesse ## Roots and Affixes - Root: duchesse - Root: dux - Root: ducere - to lead ## Etymology From Old French 'duchesse', feminine of 'duc' ('duke'), from Latin 'dux' ('leader'), from 'ducere' ('to lead'). ## AI Etymology Duchess comes from Old French 'duchesse', feminine of 'duc' ('duke'), from Latin 'dux' ('leader'), from 'ducere' ('to lead'). The etymological trail includes Old French duchesse, Latin dux, and Latin ducere. As a noun, duchess names the wife or widow of a duke, or a woman holding a duchy in her own right. The same family is visible in related forms such as duke, duchy, and duchesse. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown