Nearby Words
Synonyms

actress

[ak-tris] Origin

ac·tress

[ak-tris]
noun
a woman who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc., especially professionally.

Origin:
1580–90; act(o)r + -ess


See -ess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Actress is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
actress (ˈæktrɪs)
 
n
1.  a woman who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc
2.  informal a woman who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others
 
usage  Use of the word actress to refer to a female who acts is old-fashioned. The modern gender-neutral form is actor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

actress
1580s, "female who does something;" see actor; stage sense is from 1700. Sometimes Fr. actrice was used.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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