archduchess

[ ahrch-duhch-is ]

noun

1. the wife of an archduke.
2. a princess of the Austrian imperial family.

archduchess

/ ˈɑːtʃˈdʌtʃɪs /

noun

1. the wife or widow of an archduke
2. (since 1453) a princess of the Austrian imperial family, esp a daughter of the Austrian emperor

Gender Note

What's the difference between archduchess and archduke? See -ess.

Word History and Origins

Origin of archduchess¹

First recorded in 1610–20; arch- ¹ + duchess, modeled on French archiduchesse

Example Sentences

The archduchess admires his protective instinct, but she can’t save him, or the tower, from their inevitable fate.

From Los Angeles Times

About a self-important archduchess, she comments: “I would like to see her in the water. Water has a way of splashing on the mighty in a way that does them no favors.”

From New York Times

Marie-Antoinette, an Austrian archduchess by birth, was the wife of King Louis XVI of France, of the Bourbon dynasty.

From Reuters

It is now appropriated to the descendants of the imperial family of Austria through the make line, all such male descendants being styled archduke, and all such female descendants archduchesses.

From Project Gutenberg

Should there be children by the marriage, 62 they are to succeed to all inheritances in Spain, Flanders, etc., that the archduchess may become entitled to.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aristocrat