Etymologically
Log in

princess

Etymology and origin of the English word princess

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
a. 1380
Borrowed from
Old French princesse via Middle English
Ultimate origin
English (prince)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /prɪnˈses/, /ˈprɪn.ses/, US /ˈprɪn.sɪs/, /ˈprɪn.ses/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English princesse,[2] a native formation from prince and the suffix -ess,[3] in some later instances borrowed from Old French princesse, the feminine of prince.[3][2][4] Compare Medieval Latin principissa and Italian principessa.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A woman or anything personified as feminine likened to a princess as pre-eminent: before 1380 in the OED;[5] a woman of royal or noble birth, the daughter or wife of a ruler, or a female ruler: the late 14th century in Etymonline,[3] about 1400 in the OED.[5]

Semantic evolution

A female sovereign or queen (about 1400) is now archaic.[5][6] The wife of a prince is also about 1400,[5] and a daughter or granddaughter of a monarch from 1508.[5] As a term of address to a lover it is found in the early 15th century, and to a woman or girl colloquially by 1924.[3][5] A size of roofing slate is called a princess (1878).[5] Princesse lointaine, an ideal but unattainable woman, is from Rostand's play of 1895.[3] As a dress style, close-fitting from shoulder to flared hem, MWU dates it from 1866.[2][7]

Timeline

  • a. 1380 – a pre-eminent woman, figuratively.[5]
  • c. 1400 – a female ruler; the wife of a prince.[5]
  • 1508 – the daughter of a monarch.[5]
  • 1866 – a dress style.[2]
  • 1924 – a form of address.[3][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A daughter or granddaughter of a monarch, or another woman of a royal family.
  2. The wife of a prince.
  3. A woman who rules a principality.
  4. (informal) A girl or woman who is spoiled or regarded as having privileges like those of a princess.

Adjective

  1. Of a dress or coat, fitting closely and falling in unbroken lines from the shoulders to a flared hem.

Word family

  • princesslike
  • princessly
  • princess regent
  • princess tree
  • crown princess
  • princess flower

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Princess.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/princess. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·