Dauphinesses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female member of the French royal family, specifically the wife or daughter-in-law of a dauphin
2. A title historically associated with French princesses before the abolition of the monarchy
3. Referring to women who hold or are associated with the rank of dauphin, often in a ceremonial or symbolic context

Etymology: The title "dauphin" was what the French called the eldest son of the king, and it comes from the Latin "delphinus," meaning dolphin. The lords of the Dauphiné, a region in southeastern France, took the fish as their emblem, and the name stuck to their title when the region passed to the French crown. "Dauphinesses" is the plural of "dauphiness," the feminine form, made by adding the suffix "-ess" to "dauphin." That suffix comes from Old French "-esse," which descends from Late Latin "-issa" and ultimately from the Greek feminine ending "-issa." So the plural refers to the wives of dauphins, the women who married the heirs to the French throne.