Ogress

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈəʊɡɹɛs/

Definitions

1. A legendary female monster akin to a monstrous woman known for consuming human flesh
2. A fantastical being that represents a female version of an ogre, often portrayed as malicious and horrifying
3. A mythical creature characterized as a female ogre, typically depicted as a fearsome entity that preys on humans

Etymology: The feminine form of "ogre" has a murky start. Its earliest attestation in this spelling dates to 1572, but where the French "ogresse" came from is uncertain. One possibility is that it grew out of English rather than the other way round. In the 1486 "Book of Coat Armour," printed in the "Book of St. Albans," heraldic roundels called "gonestonys" are described with the word "oglys." Someone in the 1500s may have misread "ogles" as "ogres" and taken the plural for a singular, much as "pommeis" was later used as a singular. The word entered English in the early 1700s, borrowed from French "ogresse," which is itself "ogre" with the feminine suffix "-ess." Its near-twin "orcess," a feminine of "orc," shares a doublet relationship with it, though the two arrived by different routes. Some 18th-century writers also wrote "agresses" alongside "ogresses," showing how loosely the spelling was fixed at the time.

Synonyms: female ogre, monster, brute, creature, beast