criticess

English

Etymology

From critic +‎ -ess.

Noun

criticess (plural criticesses) (rare)

1. A female critic.
   • 1870, S. R. Wells, editor, The Phrenological Journal and Packard’s Monthly‎^[1], New York: Wells, Samuel R., A Disputed Point (by Mary Haines Gilbert), page 359, column 1:

     I sighed. “Doubtless you are right, but I will cling to ‘editor’ and ‘author,’ nevertheless, and repeat the esses only when I fear being laughed at.” / “You will regret it,” groaned my mentor. / “Well, then, will this satisfy you?” said I. “That old tyrant, Grammar, has, by the aid of editors and editresses, critics and criticesses, slain his thousands and tens of thousands of authors and authoresses, scribblers and scribbleresses.”

   • 1873, Wickersham, J. P., editor, The Pennsylvania School Journal, volume XXII, page 145, column 1:

     Grammar.—“So you have finished your studies at the seminary? I was much pleased with the closing exercises. The author of that poem—Miss White, I think you called her—bids fair to become a known poet.” / “We think the authoress will become celebrated as a poetess,” remarked the young lady, pertly, with marked emphasis on two words of the sentence. / “Oh!—ah,” replied the old gentleman looking thoughtfully over his gold spectacles at the young lady: “I hear her sister was quite an actress, and under Mr. Hosmer’s instructions will undoubtedly become quite a sculptoress.” / The young lady appeared irritated. / “The seminary,” continued the old man, with imperturbable gravity, “is fortunate in having an efficient board of manageresses. From the presidentess down to the humblest teacheress, unusual talent is shown. There is Miss Harper, who as a chemistress is unequaled, and Miss Knowles has already a reputation as an astronomeress. And in the department of music, few can equal Miss Kellogg as a singeress.” / The young lady did not appear to like the chair she was sitting on. She took the sofa at the other end of the room. / “Yes,” continued the old gentleman, as if talking to himself, “those White sisters are very talented; Mary, I understand, has turned her attention to music and the drama, and will become famous as an actress and painteress, and even as a lecturess.” / A loud slamming of the door caused the old gentleman to look up, and the criticess and grammarianess was gone.

   • 1893–4, The Inland Printer: A Technical Journal Devoted to the Art of Printing‎^[2], volume XII, page 151, column 2:

     The dramatic criticess has done her work faithfully and with brilliant success. Her terse critique on the “Home of the Soul,” to which she considers a cornet accompaniment appropriate, indeed, is one of the features of the paper.

   • 1994 April 14, Alexey V Ghostevskikh, “Re: D.L. Roth vs. R.J. Dio, place your bets”, in soc.culture.soviet (Usenet), message-ID <1994Apr14.202151.4372@selway.umt.edu>:

     Interestingly, there was a comment of a German criticess (sp?) back in 1984 that red^[sic] like that "recently, VH have shifted to the kind of music which doesn't qualify them to be called a rock-group anymore", Anja Boehm.

   • 2001, Frederick Crews, Postmodern Pooh‎^[3], North Point Press, →ISBN, page 160:

     Newton and Jonathan Culler, Abbie Hoffman and Geoffrey Hartman, Janis Joplin and the Beatnik criticess Susan Sontag were all engaged in the same fervid devoir of Moral Disarmament, which continues apace today.

   • 2013, Anatoly Kudryavitsky, disUNITY: Selected novels by Anatoly Kudryavitsky‎^[4], Glagoslav Publications, →ISBN, page 103:

     “So how did you get on with the criticess?” Ostermann wanted to know as they were going up the steps to the conference hall. / “Not very well, I fear,” said Swidersky morosely. “She’s a very snobby lady.” / “You should have seen the other Russian criticess who was here last year. She kept harping on about the need to distinguish between Jews and Yids. […]”