Definition of "duchess" []

• The wife or widow of a duke. (noun)
• A woman holding title to a duchy in her own right. (noun)
• Used as the title for such a noblewoman. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Someone once said that the prospect of having sex with a duchess is more alluring than the prospect of having sex with a chamber maid."
• "And there is Anne of Cleves, a duchess from a far-away country who cannot even speak the language in her new homeland."
• "While a footman was absorbing the attention of the coachman by giving him some minute, unnecessary orders, Madame (as they called the duchess) slipped out of the carriage door with one of her ladies, while two others, who were standing ready in the darkness, took their places."