ess

1 of 2

noun

1
: the letter s
2
: something resembling the letter S in shape
especially : an S-shaped curve in a road

-ess

2 of 2

noun suffix

: female
giantess

Examples of ess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
New Blue bites ten yards out of its disadvantage on hard braking, then closes in several feet more as the pairs arcs into the left-hand entry to the uphill ess-section. Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 31 Aug. 2020 Elliott and Truex were back in front for the restart on Lap 66, but Truex challenged right off the green flag, the two exchanging bumps speeding up through the esses, but Elliott never relinquished the lead. John Kekis, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Aug. 2019 The Supra manages to be both stable in long sweepers and agile in esses that force the suspension to load and unload side-to-side. Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, 12 May 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun suffix

Middle English -esse, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin -issa, from Greek

First Known Use

Noun

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ess was in 1540

Dictionary Entries Near ess

Cite this Entry

“Ess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ess. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

-ess

noun suffix
əs,
is,
 also  ˌes
: female
priestess
Etymology

Noun suffix

derived from Greek -issa (feminine noun suffix)

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!