[1595–1605; cloist(e)r(er) monk + -ess]This word is first recorded in the period 1595–1605. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Creole, condensation, domain, premium, slur-ess is a suffix forming distinctively feminine nouns. Other words that use the affix-ess include: actress, heiress, mistress, proprietress, waitress