hostess

English

Etymology

From Middle English hostesse, from Middle French hostesse, from Old French ostesce, made up of oste (“host”) + -esce (“feminine marker”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhoʊstɪs/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhəʊstəs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: host‧ess

Noun

hostess (plural hostesses)

1. A female host.

   The host and hostess greeted their guests at the door.

   • 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:

     The [Washington] Post's proprietor through those turbulent [Watergate] days, Katharine Graham, held a double place in Washington’s hierarchy: at once regal Georgetown hostess and scrappy newshound, ready to hold the establishment to account.

2. A female innkeeper.
3. Stewardess: a woman steward on an airplane.
4. A bar hostess or bargirl; a paid female companion offering conversation and in some cases sex.

Synonyms

• hostress (dated)

Derived terms

• air hostess
• airline hostess
• dance hostess
• hostess bar
• hostess dress
• hostess gown
• hostess-ship
• hostess trolley
• hostess with the mostess
• hostess with the mostest

 

Translations

female host

• Afrikaans: gasvrou
• Armenian: տանտիրուհի (hy) (tantiruhi)
• Bats: მასპიჼძელ (masṗĩʒel)
• Bulgarian: домакиня (bg) f (domakinja), хазайка f (hazajka)
• Catalan: amfitriona (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 女主人 (zh) (nǚzhǔrén)

• Czech: hostitelka f
• Danish: værtinde c
• Esperanto: gastigantino
• Finnish: emäntä (fi)
• French: hôtesse (fr) f, maîtresse de maison (fr)
• Georgian: მასპინძელი (masṗinʒeli)
• German: Gastgeberin (de) f, Wirtin (de) f
• Irish: banóstach m
• Korean: 여주인 (yeoju'in)
• Latin: hospita f
• Macedonian: дома́ќинка f (domáḱinka)
• Mingrelian: მენძელი (menʒeli)
• Norwegian: vertinne (no) f
• Polish: gospodyni (pl) f
• Portuguese: anfitriã f, anfitrioa (pt) f
• Russian: хозя́йка (ru) f (xozjájka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: домаћиница f, га̏здарица f

  Roman: domaćinica f, gȁzdarica (sh) f

• Spanish: anfitriona f
• Svan: მა̈სძელ (mäsʒel)
• Swedish: värdinna (sv) c
• Ukrainian: господиня f (hospodynja)

female innkeeper

• Bulgarian: ханджийка f (handžijka)
• Catalan: hostalera (ca) f
• Czech: hostitelka f
• Danish: værtinde c
• Finnish: emäntä (fi)
• German: Wirtin (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient: πανδοκεύτρια f (pandokeútria)

• Polish: karczmarka (pl) f, oberżystka f, szynkarka f
• Russian: хозя́йка (ru) f (xozjájka)
• Swedish: värdinna (sv) c

stewardess

• Bulgarian: стюардеса (bg) f (stjuardesa)
• Catalan: hostessa (ca) f
• Czech: letuška (cs) f
• Esperanto: stevardino
• Finnish: lentoemäntä (fi)
• French: hôtesse de l’air (fr) f
• German: Stewardess (de) f, Flugbegleiterin (de) f (officialese)
• Macedonian: стјуарде́са f (stjuardésa)
• Polish: stewardesa (pl) f, stewardessa f
• Portuguese: aeromoça (pt) f, comissária de bordo (pt) f, comissária de voo f
• Russian: стюарде́сса (ru) f (stjuardɛ́ssa), стюарде́сса (ru) f (stjuardéssa)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: стјуардѐса f

  Roman: stjuardèsa (sh) f

• Spanish: azafata (es), aeromoza (es) f (Latin America)
• Swedish: flygvärdinna (sv) c
• Turkish: hostes (tr)

bargirl (a female companion)

• German: Hostess (de) f
• Japanese: ホステス (hosutesu), (event compagnon) イベントコンパニオン (ibentokonpanion)
• Korean: 호스티스 (ko) (hoseutiseu), 도우미 (doumi)
• Macedonian: хостеса f (hostesa)
• Russian: хо́стесс f (xóstɛss), хо́стес (ru) f (xóstɛs)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: хостѐса f

  Roman: hostèsa (sh) f

• Turkish: konsomatris (tr)
• Ukrainian: пла́тна партне́рка f (plátna partnérka)

Verb

hostess (third-person singular simple present hostesses, present participle hostessing, simple past and past participle hostessed)

1. To host, as a woman.
   • 1975, The Arrow of Pi Beta Phi, volume 92, number 2, page 69:

     Later in January, the alum club hostessed the initiation brunch at the Pi Beta Phi chapter house. It was thrilling to see so many girls with such enthusiasm!

   • 1986 fall, MWC Today, volume 11, number 1, page 21, column 1:

     Over the years she has maintained a close relationship with several former students. Currently, she alternates between visiting and hostessing two in Roanoke and Greenville, N.C., respectively, and is a proud godgrandmother to one’s new baby.

   • 2009, Eireann Corrigan, Accomplice, Frome, Som: The Chicken House, published 2010, →ISBN, page 161:

     Dad and I had left early to make sure to get a booth in the back. But when I got there, Teddy Selander’s older sister was hostessing and she said, ‘You’re meeting Dean West? He’s sitting right over here,’ loud enough for everyone to hear.

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English hostess.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔ.stes/^*
• Rhymes: -ɔstes

Noun

hostess f (invariable)

1. stewardess