[1570–80; direct(o)r + -ess]This word is first recorded in the period 1570–80. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: bracket, deadhead, pigeonhole, refraction, skeleton-ess is a suffix forming distinctively feminine nouns. Other words that use the affix-ess include: heiress, mistress, peeress, stewardess, waitress