Definition of "portress" [por•tress]

• A woman doorkeeper or porter, especially in a convent. (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.

• "The portress was a heavy sleeper, and I knew where her keys hung, on a nail just within the door of her cell."
• "The portress was a heavy sleeper, and I knew where her keys hung, on"
• "The portress was a nice woman, whose good-will Count Abel gained on the very first day."