duchess

See also: Duchess

English

The Duchess Anna Amalia von Weimar (1795).

Etymology

(deprecated template usage) From Middle English duchesse, from Old French duchesse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdʌtʃ.əs/

Noun

duchess (plural duchesses)

1. The wife or widow of a duke.
   • 2012, Caroline Davies, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announce they are expecting first baby (in The Guardian, 3 December 2012)[1]

     The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have ended months of intense speculation by announcing they are expecting their first child, but were forced to share their news earlier than hoped because of the Duchess's admission to hospital on Monday.

2. The female ruler of a duchy.

Related terms

• archduchess
• grand duchess

Translations

female spouse or widow of a duke

• Arabic: دُوقَة f (dūqa)
• Armenian: դքսուհի (hy) (dkʻsuhi)
• Belarusian: герцагі́ня f (hjercahínja), княгі́ня f (knjahínja)
• Bulgarian: херцоги́ня f (hercogínja), дуке́са f (dukésa)
• Catalan: duquessa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 公爵夫人 (zh) (gōngjué fūrén)

• Czech: vévodkyně (cs) f
• Danish: hertuginde c
• Dutch: hertogin (nl) f
• Esperanto: dukino
• Estonian: hertsoginna
• Finnish: herttuatar (fi)
• French: duchesse (fr) f
• German: Herzogin (de) f
• Greek: δούκισσα (el) f (doúkissa)
• Hawaiian: duke wahine
• Hungarian: hercegné (hu)
• Icelandic: hertogaynja f
• Indonesian: istri adipati
• Irish: bandiúc f
• Italian: duchessa (it)
• Japanese: 公爵夫人 (こうしゃくふじん, kōshaku fujin)
• Latvian: hercogiene f
• Lithuanian: hercogienė f
• Macedonian: војвотка f (vojvotka)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Manx: bendiuic m
• Maori: tutahe
• Marathi: डचेस (ḍaces)
• Norman: duchêsse f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hertuginne m or f

  Nynorsk: hertuginne f

• Persian: دوشس (fa) (dušes)
• Polish: księżna (pl) f
• Portuguese: duquesa (pt) f
• Romanian: ducesă (ro) f
• Russian: герцоги́ня (ru) f (gercogínja), княги́ня (ru) f (knjagínja)
• Scottish Gaelic: ban-diùc f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: војвоткиња f

  Roman: vojvotkinja (sh) f

• Slovak: vojvodkyňa f
• Slovene: vojvodinja (sl) f
• Spanish: duquesa (es) f
• Swedish: hertiginna (sv) c
• Tagalog: dukesa
• Thai: ดัชเชส (dát-chés)
• Turkish: düşes (tr) f
• Ukrainian: герцоги́ня f (hercohýnja), княги́ня f (knjahýnja)
• Volapük: dük (vo) m or f, hidük m, jidük (vo) f

female ruler of a duchy

• Armenian: դքսուհի (hy) (dkʻsuhi)
• Bulgarian: херцоги́ня f (hercogínja), дуке́са f (dukésa)
• Catalan: duquessa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 女伯爵

• Czech: vévodkyně (cs) f
• Dutch: hertogin (nl) f
• Finnish: herttuatar (fi)
• French: duchesse (fr) f
• German: Herzogin (de) f
• Greek: δούκισσα (el) f (doúkissa)
• Hawaiian: duke wahine
• Hungarian: hercegnő (hu)
• Icelandic: hertogaynja f
• Indonesian: adipati perempuan
• Irish: bandiúc f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latvian: hercogiene f
• Lithuanian: hercogė f
• Macedonian: војвотка f (vojvotka)
• Manx: bendiuic m
• Marathi: डचेस (ḍaces)
• Norman: duchêsse f
• Polish: księżna (pl) f
• Portuguese: duquesa (pt) f
• Russian: герцоги́ня (ru) f (gercogínja), княги́ня (ru) f (knjagínja)
• Scottish Gaelic: ban-diùc f
• Spanish: duquesa (es) f
• Swedish: hertiginna (sv) c
• Thai: ดัชเชส (dát-chés)
• Turkish: düşes (tr)
• Volapük: dük (vo) m or f, hidük m, jidük (vo) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: ^{(please verify)} dugez f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} dux (la) f

Verb

1. (UK, informal) to court or curry favour for political or business advantage; to flatter obsequiously.
   • 1956, John Thomas Lang, I Remember‎^[2], page 64:

     On arrival in England he was “duchessed” in a manner that no Australian Prime Minister has ever been “duchessed” before or since. Northcliffe was looking for someone around whom he could build a campaign against Asquith. Hughes filled the bill nicely.

   • 1996, Shane Maloney, The Brush-Off, 2003, page 46,

     ‘A word to the wise, Murray. Those wogs you′ve been duchessing at Ethnic Affairs have got nothing on the culture vultures. Tear the flesh right off your bones, they will.’

   • 2004, Humphrey McQueen, A New Britannia, Fourth Edition, page 66,

     The traditional version of Hughes′ decision to introduce conscription gives central importance to his visit to London in April 1916 where it is alleged he was duchessed and deceived concerning recruitment figures.

   • 2006, Jacqueline Dickenson, Renegades and Rats: Betrayal and the Remaking of Radical Organisations in Britain and Australia‎^[3], page 144:

     But by 1914 Grayson had, according to Groves, been thoroughly duchessed, believing that he could enjoy the good things in life and still serve the cause.