• governeress(obsolete)
• governor-ess(rare)

Originally fromMiddle Englishgoverneresse, fromOld Frenchgoverneresse. In this form (with-o-; unlikegoverneress,governer seems to have never been more common than the-o- form) and later uses, directly fromgovernor +‎-ess.

governoress (pluralgovernoresses)

1. (now nonstandard) A womanemployed toeducatechildren inprivatehouseholds.[from 1826 (mention)/1855;-e- form:c. 1422]

   Synonym:governess

   • [1826, Peter Smith,An Analytical System of English Grammar; […], Edinburgh: […] Oliver & Boyd, […]; andGeo[rge] B[yrom] Whittaker, London,page17:

     How are the following nouns improperly formed, and what should they be? viz.—Lifes, knifes, dwarves, mischieves—boxs, churchs, dishs, fishs—enemys, flys, skys, spys—louses, mouses, oxes, pennys—arcanums, datums, erratums, phænomenons—bacheloress, benefactoress,governoress—boys books, girls dolls, childs rattle—diligence sake; Jane’s, Margaret’s, and Isabella’s mother; John’s, Peter’s, and Frank’s books.]

   • 1855 January 4, “Who Is Mrs. Nightingale”, in D. P. Thompson, editor,Green Mountain Freeman, Montpelier, Vt.,front page, column 6:

     […] when the hospital established in London for sickgovernoresses was about to fail for want of proper management, she stepped forward and consented to be placed at its head. Derbyshire and Hampshire were exchanged for the narrow, dreary establishment in Harley street, to which she devoted all her time and fortune. While her friends missed her at assemblies, lectures, concerts, exhibitions and all the entertainments for taste and intellect with which London in its season abounds, she whose powers could have best appreciated these, was sitting beside the bed and soothing the last complaints of some poor, dying, homeless, querulous governess.

   • 1986 December 24, “From little terror to Princess Perfect . . .”, inWestern Evening Herald, number31,478, Plymouth,page29, column 2:

     It took a firmgovernoress, boarding school and a finishing school to get rid of the rough edges — and, by her late teens, the youngPrincess [Alexandra] was emerging as a beautiful and serene woman.

   • For more quotations using this term, seeCitations:governoress.
2. (dated) Afemalegovernor.[from 1869;-e- form:c. 1425 (c. 1370)]

   Synonyms:(dated)governess,(rare)gubernatrix

   • 1869 February 25, Redpath[pseudonym], “Redpath Visits the State Capital.a. d. 1900.”, inIron County Register, volume II, number29, Ironton, Mo.,page[3], column 2:

     I was introduced by Mrs. Onward, theGovernoress, to Mrs. Sapient, the Speakeress of the House.

   • 1997 December 14, Frank G. Logan, “‘Gubernatorial’ is a wacky thing to call a governor”, inHome News Tribune,page I1, column 4:

     Our modern governors (even the currentgovernoress) do not deserve to be belittled as some sort of “gubers.”

   • 2005 May 30, Orman Arnold, “New dividing line: An enthusiast”, inTri-City Herald,pageA12, column 4:

     The liberals in control now are just doing what they want. Let’s get things going and separate the states and maybe northern California might like to jump in also. We don’t even have a legal “governoress,” she just thinks she is.

   • For more quotations using this term, seeCitations:governoress.
3. (dated) Thewife of agovernor.[from 1820]

   Synonym:(dated)governess

   • 1820, chapter V, inDe Clifford; or, Passion more Powerful than Reason. […], volume I, London: […] [T]heMinerva Press for A[nthony] K[ing] Newman and Co. […],→OCLC,pages164–165:

     Colonel Braddyll, soon after his marriage, was chosen governor of ⸺, in India, and Mrs. Braddyll, asgovernoress, or governor’s lady, was in the height of her glory.

   • 1936 July 29,Virginia Woolf, “3157: To Jane Bussy”, inNigel Nicolson, Joanne Trautmann, editors,Leave the Letters Till We’re Dead: The Letters of Virginia Woolf, volumesVI (1936–1941), London:The Hogarth Press, published1980,→ISBN,page60:

     That reminds me—my old mother in law was here with the Governor andGovernoress of Gambia [Southorns] the other day.

   • 1980 October 24,Tom McEwen, “M-A Is Back In Stride In Win Circle”, inThe Tampa Tribune, 86th year, number256, Tampa, Fla.,page1-C, column 1:

     “We have strong ties to all,” saidGovernoress[Adele Khoury] Graham.

   • For more quotations using this term, seeCitations:governoress.

• This form,governoress, which seems to be first attested in 1820 (in sense 3), hasnever been standard in sense 1. In the obsolete form withe,governeress, used since Middle English (seegoverneresse), it seems to have been acceptable until the 17th century, being replaced with the contractedgoverness.
• In the “female governor” sense, this originally referred generally to any woman whoruled orgoverned. This sense is not attested with the-o- form, which specifically refers to a femalechief executive officer of afirst-leveldivision of acountry.

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