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princess

 
(prĭn'sĭs, -sĕs', prĭn-sĕs') pronunciation
n.
  1. A woman member of a royal family other than the monarch, especially a daughter of a monarch.
    1. A woman who is a ruler of a principality.
    2. A woman who is a hereditary ruler; a queen.
  2. A noblewoman of varying status or rank.
  3. The wife of a prince.
  4. A woman regarded as having the status or qualities of a princess.
adj.
Designed to hang in smooth, close-fitting, unbroken lines from shoulder to flared hem: a princess dress.

[Middle English princesse, from Old French, feminine of prince, prince. See prince.]


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princess

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A daughter or granddaughter of a king or queen.

pronunciation At length I recollected the thoughtless saying of a great princess, who, on being informed that the country people had no bread, replied, "Let them eat cake." — Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

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Sign Language Videos:

princess

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sign description: The P-hand begins at the shoulder, moves across the chest and downward.




Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'princess'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to princess, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Princess.
Royal and noble ranks
Coronet of an earl
Emperor & Empress
King & Queen
Viceroy & Vicereine
Archduke & Archduchess
Infante & Infanta
Grand Duke & Grand Duchess
Grand Prince & Grand Princess
Duke & Duchess

Prince & Princess


Marquess & Marchioness
Marquis & Marquise
Margrave & Margravine

Count & Countess

Earl & Countess

Viscount & Viscountess

Baron & Baroness

Freiherr & Freifrau
Baronet & Baronetess
Hereditary Knight, Ritter
Knight & Dame

Nobile, Edler von

Princess is the feminine form of prince (from Latin princeps, meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince or for the daughters of a king or sovereign prince.

For many centuries, the title "princess" was not regularly used for a monarch's daughter, who might simply be called "Lady" or a non-English equivalent. Old English had no female equivalent of "prince", "earl", or any royal or noble title aside from queen. Royal women, or women of the nobility, were simply addressed or referred to as "Lady" or "The Lady Firstname" for a particularly highborn woman.

As women slowly gained more autonomy and respect in European history, the title of princess became simply the female counterpart of prince; it does not necessarily imply being merely married to a prince.[citation needed] A princess may be a hereditary, sovereign, head of state in her own right.

The traditional meaning still applies in Europe in the sense that an untitled or at least non-royal woman who marries a prince will almost always become a princess with the possibility of eventually becoming Queen Consort, in nations where that title exists; but a man who marries a princess will almost never become a prince, unless his wife is expected to inherit the higher title of Queen regnant. If that is the case, then on her inheritance of that sovereign title, he will remain a prince.

In many of Europe's royal families, a king would grant his heirs actual or theoretical principalities to train them for future kingship or to give them social class. This practice has led over time to many people thinking that "prince" and "princess" are titles reserved for the immediate family of a king or queen. In fact, most princesses in history were not immediate members of a royal family but rather women who married into it.

See also


Translations:

Princess

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - prinsesse, fyrstinde
adj. - prinsesse-

idioms:

  • princess royal    titel for den engelske monarks ældste datter

Nederlands (Dutch)
prinses

Français (French)
n. - princesse
adj. - de princesse

idioms:

  • princess royal    princesse héritière, princesse royale

Deutsch (German)
n. - Prinzessin, Fürstin
adj. - Prinzessin...

idioms:

  • princess royal    älteste Tochter des Monarchen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - πριγκίπισσα, βασιλοπούλα

idioms:

  • princess royal    βασιλική πριγκίπισσα

Italiano (Italian)
principessa

idioms:

  • princess royal    principessa ereditaria, principessa reale

Português (Portuguese)
n. - princesa (f)

idioms:

  • princess royal    princesa real

Русский (Russian)
принцесса, исключительная

idioms:

  • princess royal    наследная принцесса

Español (Spanish)
n. - princesa, infanta
adj. - relativo a la princesa

idioms:

  • princess royal    princesa real

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - prinsessa, furstinna

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
公主, 公爵夫人, 王妃, 紧身连衣裙的

idioms:

  • princess royal    大公主

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 公主, 公爵夫人, 王妃
adj. - 緊身連衣裙的

idioms:

  • princess royal    大公主

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 공주, 왕녀
adj. - 프린세스 스타일의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 王女, 皇女, 王妃, 公爵夫人

idioms:

  • princess royal    第一皇女

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الأميرة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נסיכה, אשת נסיך, בת מלך, אישה ממשפחת המלוכה (פרט למלכה הנמצאת בשלטון)‬
adj. - ‮של נסיכה (ביחוד לבוש)‬


 
 

 

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