Lionesse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female member of the lion species, typically smaller than the male and responsible for much of the hunting within a pride
2. The adult female of the big cat known as the lion, living and hunting cooperatively with others in its social group
3. A feline animal of the female sex belonging to the lion family, noted for its hunting skill and communal habits

Etymology: "Lionesse" is an older spelling of "lioness," and the difference lies in the ending. The "-esse" came from Old French, where it marked feminine nouns. It descends from Latin "-issa," itself borrowed from a Greek feminine suffix. English attached this French ending to "lion," which came through Old French from Latin "leo" and ultimately from Greek "leon." English writers used "lionesse" from the Middle Ages onward, but the native-style "-ess" ending gradually won out, and "lioness" became the standard form. The French spelling survives mainly in the name of Lyonesse, the legendary land said in Arthurian romance to lie off Cornwall and sink beneath the sea. Whether that place name is connected to the common noun is uncertain.

Synonyms: lioness