Etymologically
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princess

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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