archduchess

noun

arch·​duch·​ess (ˌ)ärch-ˈdə-chəs 

1

: the wife or widow of an archduke

2

: a woman having in her own right a rank equal to that of an archduke

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Sophie knows about the condition before even Sisi herself—the archduchess, after all, has a courtier to watch and track her daughter-in-law’s every movement, including her menstrual cycle. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2022

Both Marie-Antoinette, an Austrian archduchess by birth, and her husband, Louis XVI, were executed by guillotine in October 1793. —CNN, 4 Oct. 2021

The formidable archduchess, by then nearly 50, had also grown up in Bavaria, but fought tooth and nail to impose her will on the Austrian court. —National Geographic, 14 May 2019

Such was Sophie’s power that less than a year after the wedding, when Elisabeth gave birth to her first daughter, the archduchess insisted the child be named for her. —National Geographic, 14 May 2019

Following the birth of Sisi’s second daughter, Gisela, the archduchess asserted control again—but this time Sisi stood up to her. —National Geographic, 14 May 2019

Sarah Lipinski, a 26-year-old accountant, remembers sitting on a bench at the Clark and nursing her then 4-month-old daughter, Nadia, while the tour guide provided insights on a 1604 portrait of an Austrian archduchess. —Polya Lesova, WSJ, 23 Apr. 2018

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Word History

Etymology

French archiduchesse, feminine of archiduc archduke, from Middle French archeduc

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1