gouvernante

See also: Gouvernante

English

Etymology

From French gouvernante.

Noun

gouvernante (plural gouvernantes)

1. (archaic) governess
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 83:

     The travellers were welcomed to Bournonville's house by the gouvernante Madelon, a bustling, goodnatured Normande, whose pyramidal white cap and large gold ear-rings were the delight of her heart; ...

   • 1872, J. Sheridan LeFanu, Carmilla‎^[1]:

     If Madame will entrust her child to the care of my daughter, and of her good gouvernante, Madame Perrodon, and permit her to remain as our guest, under my charge, until her return, it will confer a distinction and an obligation upon us, and we shall treat her with all the care and devotion which so sacred a trust deserves." "

   • 1903, William Godwin, Caleb Williams‎^[2]:

     When Emily endeavoured, though with increased misgivings, to ridicule these proceedings as absolutely nugatory without her consent, her artful gouvernante related several stories of forced marriages, and assured her that neither protestations, nor silence, nor fainting, would be of any avail, either to suspend the ceremony, or to set it aside when performed.

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡu.vɛʁ.nɑ̃t/

Adjective

gouvernante

1. feminine singular of gouvernant

Noun

gouvernante f (plural gouvernantes)

1. governess

Further reading

• “gouvernante”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.