governess
A woman paid to educate children in their own home.
Other meanings
A female governor.
The wife of a governor.
Related words
- governess-cart
- governessdom
- governesshood
- governessless
- governesslike
- governessship
- governess-ship
- governessy
- lieutenant governess
- subgoverness
- undergoverness
Word history
From Old French "governeresse" (female ruler or administrator).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “governess” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.