proprietress

[ pruh-prahy-i-tris ]

noun

1. a woman who owns a business establishment.
2. a woman who has the exclusive right or title to something.

Gender Note

See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of proprietress¹

First recorded in 1685–95; propriet(o)r + -ess

Example Sentences

“Show me yours, I’ll show you mine” is the ethos of the Broken Hearts Gallery, espoused by its proprietress.

From Los Angeles Times

Allan said Theatre’s turned out to be an Irish pub, with wonderful food and a lovely proprietress who was very kind to the awkward young American.

From Washington Post

The star of “Mean Girls” is now the proprietress of “Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club” on the Greek island of Mykonos in this new reality series.

From Los Angeles Times

The proprietress’s grandiose ideas about what she will do for her guests take up significant space, too.

From New York Times

The proprietress was a smiling mamasanta, tormented by a mania for opening and closing doors.

From Literature