governess

[ guhv-er-nis ]

noun

1. a woman who is employed to take charge of a child's upbringing, education, etc.
2. Archaic. a woman who is a ruler or governor.

governess

/ ˈɡʌvənɪs /

noun

1. a woman teacher employed in a private household to teach and train the children

Gender Note

See -ess.

Other Words From

• gover·ness·y adjective
• sub·govern·ess noun
• under·govern·ess noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of governess¹

1400–50; late Middle English governeress < Old French gouverneresse, feminine of gouverneur governor; -ess

Example Sentences

To protect them, the babies were sent away far from court to lesser royal homes to be raised not by their parents but by a squad of nurses, governesses and tutors.

From The Daily Beast

So far, most of this builds on the novel, except that our governess, Dani, has a guilt-ridden history revealed early on — she keeps seeing the ghost of her dead ex-fiancee.

From Vox

Governess: A young woman who was typically employed by wealthy families to care for and privately educate their children.

From The Daily Beast

Victoria Winters: An orphan who is engaged by the Collins family as a governess for young David Collins.

From The Daily Beast

The girl would become Victoria Winters, an orphan hired by the Collins Family as a governess for the troubled young heir.

From The Daily Beast

A victim of the waning governess trade, Miss Ellington must take a position at the crumbling Scroop Hall.

From The Daily Beast

Later she got a job as governess to the illegitimate children that Louis XIV had fathered with another mistress.

From The Daily Beast

The Princess still kept her eyes fixed on Louis, while, in a suppressed and unsteady voice, she answered her governess.

From Project Gutenberg

The governess is Swiss and for one week she talks nothing but French and for another nothing but German.

From Project Gutenberg

The child who has got languages from its governess, therefore, marks time—that is to say, wastes time in these subjects at school.

From Project Gutenberg

A real improvement in the boys character dated from the arrival of a new governess, Nastasia Petrov.

From Project Gutenberg

She had a governess and she had a maid, but I must say she didn't seem an atom set up, and was just as nice when she met us girls.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• nanny