chantress

[ chan-tris, chahn- ]

noun

1. a woman who chants or sings.

Gender Note

What's the difference between chantress and chanter? See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chantress¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English chanteresse; chanter + -ess

Example Sentences

Chantress Baptist, Carroll County schools’ director of human resources, said she and other administrators are trying several ways to attract more diverse teaching applicants.

From Washington Post

In 1995, I was in Angola working with the United Nations in Operation Chantress.

From BBC

Hieroglyphs spell out her name and titles, which include dresser to the king, chantress of the god Amun, and lady of the harem of the god Min.

From National Geographic

Inscriptions on the casket say she was a "chantress", or singer, for the god Amun, probably at the Temple of Karnak.

From Reuters

At Montivilliers the Archbishop in 1260 ordered the chantress to have an ordinal of the hours made at the Abbess’ cost; this had not yet been done in 1262 and from Rigaud’s injunction on this occasion it appears that the nuns were expected to write the book themselves, for the ordinal was “to be made by the chantress and by the more discreet nuns, i.e. by the older ones who knew and understood better the service of the order.”

From Project Gutenberg