Viscountess

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈvaɪkaʊntəs/

Definitions

1. A woman who holds the rank of viscount in her own right or is married to a viscount
2. Refers to a female noble with the title of viscount or the spouse of a man with that rank
3. Describes a woman recognized by noble rank as either a viscount by inheritance or by marriage

Etymology: The title "viscount" goes back to Late Latin "vicecomes," literally "one who stands in for a count," from "vice" meaning "in place of" and "comes" meaning "companion" or "count." In medieval England and France, a viscount was a deputy or sheriff-like officer under a count, and the rank later became a hereditary noble title. The female form was built by adding the English suffix "-ess" to the existing noun, a pattern that long marked the wives and female holders of titles. Middle English speakers first recorded the feminine form in spellings such as "viscountes" and "viscountesse," which were probably borrowed from Middle French "viscontesse." That French source is a doublet of "vicomtesse," the same word reached by a different route: English took "viscount" and its feminine through Anglo-Norman and Middle French, while French kept its own spelling "vicomtesse."

Synonyms: noblewoman, lady