ess

noun \ ˈes \

Definition of ess

1 : the letter s

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

Recent Examples of ess from the Web

Other common menu mispronunciations include espresso (it’s ess, not ex) and pho (fuh), the Vietnamese dish many mistakenly call foe.

— julie jargon, WSJ, "I’ll Have a Merlot With That Dish I Can’t Pronounce," 15 Sep. 2017
For her part, Lovato is the hostess with the most-ess indeed.

— leanna commins, Cosmopolitan, "Demi Lovato's “Sorry Not Sorry” Music Video Is a Messy Fun House Party," 20 July 2017
Through Lime Rock’s alternate Uphill section—a hard right at 35 mph, then full throttle up two steep ess bends—the TT RS is more neutral in these sharp transitions, where the RS3 can fall out of line.

— clifford atiyeh, Car and Driver, "Fives Alive! We Track the 2018 Audi TT RS and RS3," 3 Aug. 2017
Day One Arrive in Istanbul, where you will be met at the gate of the aircraft by our VIP host/ess with a name sign.

— karen fedorko sefer, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Trip to Istanbul," 5 Oct. 2016
B+ Konta/Kontaveit Jo Konta, the great British hope-ess cruises into Week Two.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Big Four, Venus Williams, Jelena Ostapenko lead Wimbledon 2017 midterm grades," 8 July 2017
Ess, 18, picked up one assist in two games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "NHL drafts four Badgers," 24 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of ess

1540

-ess

noun suffix

Definition of -ess

: female

giantess

Origin and Etymology of -ess

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

ESS Defined for Kids

-ess

noun suffix \ əs \

Definition of -ess for Students

: female

goddess

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ess

Definition of ess

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First Known Use of ess

-ess

Definition of -ess

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ESS Defined for Kids

-ess

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-ess

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