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countess

[koun-tis]

Origin

noun

the wife or widow of a count in the nobility of Continental Europe or of an earl in the British peerage.

a woman having the rank of a count or earl in her own right.

Origin:
1125–75; Middle English c(o)untesse < Anglo-French. See count², -ess

Usage note
See -ess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

countess (ˈkaʊntɪs)

—n
1.	the wife or widow of a count or earl
2.	a woman of the rank of count or earl

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

countess

mid-12c., adopted in Anglo-Norm. for "the wife of an earl," from M.L. cometissa, fem. of L. comes "count" (see count (n.)).

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earl

Russell

Matching Quote

"All women, from the countess to the cook-maid, are put into high good humor with themselves when a man is taken with them at first sight. And be they ever so plain, they will find twenty good reasons to defend the judgment of such a man."

-Samuel Richardson

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countess

count·ess