ogress

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈəʊɡɹɛs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈoʊɡɹɛs/, /-ɪs/, /-əs/
• Rhymes: (Received Pronunciation) -əʊɡɹɛs

Etymology 1

Borrowed in the early 1700s from French ogresse, equivalent to ogre +‎ -ess.

Noun

ogress (plural ogresses)

1. A female ogre.
   • 1828, Thomas Keightley, Fairy Mythology, volume II, page 237:

     And in the seventh tale of the third day of the same collection, when Corvetto had hidden himself under the Ogre's bed to steal his quilt, "he began to pull quite gently, when the Ogre awoke, and bid his wife not to pull the clothes that way, or she'd strip him, and he would get his death of cold." "Why, it's you that are stripping me," replied the Ogress, "and you have not left a stitch on me." "Where the devil is the quilt?" says the Ogre[.]

   • 1887, Marie Corelli, Thelma:

     Dear me, Mimsey!. . . you are perfectly outrageous! Do you think I'm an ogress ready to eat her up? On the contrary, I mean to be a friend to her.

2. A fierce, unfriendly woman.
   • 1977 December 3, John Mitzel, quoting Harry Allard, “Harry Allard: A Teller of Children's Stories Talks About His Life”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 22, page 8:

     I remember being the fall guy for the family, having to take the rent down to the ogress of a landlady so that my parents wouldn't have to face her.

Related terms

• orcess
• goblette
• trolless
• trollette

Translations

female ogre

• Catalan: ogressa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 女吃人魔 (nǚchīrénmó), 女食人妖怪 (nǚshírényāoguài)

• Esperanto: ogrino
• French: ogresse (fr) f
• Hebrew: אוֹגֶרֶת f (ogeret)
• Italian: orchessa f
• Japanese: 鬼女 (ja) (kijo)
• Malayalam: രാക്ഷസി (rākṣasi)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: flagd n

• Old Norse: flagð n, gýgr f
• Russian: зла́я ба́ба f (zlája bába)(fierce woman)
• Spanish: orca (es) f

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Attested in this form since 1572. The French term ogoesse is only attested later (1611 in an English dictionary. 1690 in a French dictionary) and may be derived from English. The 1486 Book of Coat Armour in the Book of St. Albans says "gonestonys" are called "oglys" in heraldic blazon; perhaps someone in the 1500s misread ogles as ogres(s) and mistook the plural for a singular, compare the use of pommeis (“roundel(s) vert”) as a singular. The form agresses is found in some 18th century works, alongside ogresses.

Noun

ogress (plural ogresses)

1. (heraldry) A roundel sable.
   • 1572, John Bossewell, Workes of Armorie, II, 37b:

     Beareth Verte, fiue Fermaulxz in Crosse D'Or, a Border d'Argent, charged with eight Ogresses: or, after the French blazon, 'Ogressée de huit pieces'.

Synonyms

• (roundel sable): gunstone, pellet

See also

	metals		main colours				less common colours
tincture	or	argent	gules	azure	sable	vert	purpure	tenné	orange	sanguine
depiction
roundel (in parentheses: semé):	bezant (bezanty)	plate (platy)	torteau (tortelly)	hurt (hurty)	pellet (pellety), ogress	pomme	golpe (golpy)	orange (semé of oranges)		guze (semé of guzes)
goutte (noun) / gutty (adj) thereof:	(goutte / gutty) d'or (of gold)	d'eau (of water)	de sang (of blood)	de larmes (of tears)	de poix (of pitch)	d'huile / d'olive (olive oil)
	special roundel	furs								additional, uncommon tinctures:
tincture	fountain, syke: barry wavy argent and azure	ermine	ermines, counter-ermine	erminois	pean	vair	counter-vair	potent	counter-potent	bleu celeste, brunâtre, carnation, cendrée (iron, steel, acier), copper, murrey
depiction

Anagrams

• Gosser, Groses, Grosse, esrogs, gorses, grosse, sogers