ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Governess

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈɡʌvɚnəs/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Governess is a noun meaning A woman paid to educate children in their own home.

Meaning

A woman paid to educate children in their own home.

More Meanings

  1. To work as governess; to educate children in their own home.
  2. (dated) A female governor.
  3. (dated) The wife of a governor.

Example Sentences

The Lady Governeſs of the Town drew near to me; […]
Boy, you are a crabby lady! Who are you? Calvin's cruel governess?
[Mashenka Pavletsky] returning from a walk to the house of the Kushkins, with whom she was living as a governess, found the household in a terrible turmoil.
I was pressed to make a halt at Ahmedabad for a few days; then asked to stay for a few hours; finally, for half an hour, to see “the Governor and Governess” of Madras.

Word Forms

Synonyms for governess

Depending on context, synonyms include governoress, gubernatrix.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include duenna, nanny, nurse, maid, housekeeper, tutor.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.