α. 1600s electresse, 1600s– electress.
β. 1600s electoresse, 1700s– electoress.
electressn.
/ᵻˈlɛktrᵻs/, U.S. /əˈlɛktrəs/, /iˈlɛktrəs/ 1. A female elector; a woman having a vote. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > appointment to office > choosing or fact of being chosen for office > election of representative body by vote > right to vote at elections > [noun] > one who has right to vote > female
electress?1609
votress1841
?1609 J. Healey tr. Bp. J. Hall Discouery New World ii. iii. 104 They had once a custome to elect these Grauesses by voices, but afterwards..they made a decree yt only those should haue the sway in this enuious contention, who would professe themselues neither faire nor eloquent. But this brought all to such a passe that in the whole multitude of them, you should not find one that would be Electresse [L. quæ electricis locum occuparet].
1810 Morning Post 3 May She concluded an impressive address, by proposing the health of Miss Skeggs, the female orator of the British Forum, and the future Electresses of Westminster.
1869 Spectator 6 Nov. 1295 The electresses evidently think, even more earnestly than the electors, that, etc.
1956 Times 18 June 11/5 Mrs. Platts, disenfranchised electress of Tonbridge,..deserves and will surely receive the sympathies of all Liberals.
2. The wife of a German elector. Chiefly as a title. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > sovereign ruler or monarch > other independent rulers > [noun] > German elector > wife of
electress1618
electrice1641
electrix1651
1618 P. Holderus tr. J. van Oldenbarneveld Barneuel's Apol. sig. Div The Electoresse, and Countesse Palatine.
1694 R. Molesworth Acct. Denmark in 1692 (ed. 3) xiv. 210 The present Elector..having been formerly very much in love with another Lady, who is the present Electress; refused to compleat his Marriage with the Daughter of Denmark.
1714 T. Knaggs (title) A sermon preach'd on the death of the Princess Sophia, Electress Dowager of Hanover.
1798 M. Edgeworth & R. L. Edgeworth Pract. Educ. I. x. 292 The electoress came in with one of her daughters.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond II. ix. 153 His grandsire had served the beautiful and unfortunate Electress-Palatine, the first King Charles's sister.
1870 J. C. Curtis Elem. Hist. Eng. 412 George I was the son of the electress Sophia, granddaughter of James I.
1924 K. Feiling Hist. Tory Party xii. 345 The insertion of the Electress Sophia's name was brought forward as a non-party measure, with a Tory mover and a Whig seconder.
2000 Times 2 Aug. ii. 22/4 The favourite source hitherto has been the Trauer-Ode,..written for the memorial service of Christiane, Electress of Saxony.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?1609