Seeresses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of female individuals known for their ability to foresee future events or possess prophetic visions
2. Women who are believed to have clairvoyant capabilities, often providing insight into future occurrences
3. Female practitioners of divination who claim to possess special knowledge of events yet to come

Etymology: "Seeresses" is the plural of "seeress," a woman who sees visions or foretells the future. The word is built from "seer" plus the suffix "-ess," which marks a female agent. "Seer" itself comes from the verb "see," so a seer is literally one who perceives what others cannot, and "seeress" simply makes that role feminine. The suffix "-ess" has a long career in English. It was borrowed through Old French from medieval Latin forms ending in "-issa," originally from Greek feminine endings, and it attached freely to many nouns to name women in a role, as in "actress" or "hostess." Because "seer" already referred to a person of either sex, the feminine form "seeress" was needed mainly when speakers wanted to specify a woman prophet, which is why the plural "seeresses" usually appears in discussions of women such as the oracles and prophetesses of ancient and folk traditions.

Synonyms: prophetesses, oracles