officeress

English

Etymology

• officer +‎ -ess

Pronunciation

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Noun

officeress (plural officeresses)

1. (archaic or humorous, rare) A female officer.
   • 1839 June, Morgan O'Doherty, “Familiar Epistle to the Hereditary Grand Duke of Russia.”, in Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country‎^[1], volume 19, James Fraser, page 742:

     What are the functions of this lady—what it was she desired to try—whether her name begins with N., T., Or P., seem to be moot questions; but they positively say, not only that such an officeress exists, but that she keeps a Clerk.

   • 1931, Fairfax Davis Downey, Burton, Arabian Nights Adventurer, C. Scribner's sons, page 214:

     It required a sketch from the life by Burton of the inky hag who was chief officeress of his brigade to put matters right at home.

   • 1998, Norman Mailer, The Executioner's Song, Vintage International, →ISBN, page 361:

     I can hear the tumbrel wheels creaking again and the swift slide of the blade—in my dream I was being interviewed by a female Mont Court parole officeress or whatever, dreams take their own course, and pretty soon the doctor or the male Mont Court, or somebody, came back.

Anagrams

• scofferies