empress

noun

em·​press ˈem-prəs How to pronounce empress (audio)
Synonyms of empressnext
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Archaeologists subsequently uncovered a platform at the site with statue bases inscribed with the names of 14 Roman emperors and empresses. —Patricia Failing, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2024 Directed by Scott's son, Jake Scott, Kelce stars in the commercial as a gladiator alongside the other athletes and Megan, 29, who plays an empress. —Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2024 Partnering with Pepsi, the Houston rapper sits as an empress, celebrating the return of the NFL season and the release of Paramount Pictures’ Gladiator II in theaters this fall. —Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 5 Sep. 2024 But in all the nation's imperial history, there has never been a single emperor or empress from the matrilineal line, said Japan Today. —Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 1 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for empress 

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

empresario

empress

empressement

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Empress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empress. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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