Meanings
Bess1
- A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth.
Come hither Beſſe, and let me kiſſe my Boy: […]
c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene vi], page 172, column 21 more example
"Jack, couldn't you call me Bette again? You know how much I hate Bess. I don't know what's happened; you've been calling me Bette since we came to California and now, suddenly, you're calling me Bess." There's a long silence. Dad's still up on his knees; I'm driving along Sepulveda Boulevard toward Olympic. "Well, Bette, I married you as Bess and I've always liked that name. It's a name you don't hear very often; it's a strong name like you. Every time I call you Bette I'm afraid somebody else might answer."
1981, William Wharton, Dad, Knopf, →ISBN, page 293
BESS2
- USabbreviationinitialismgovernmentInitialism of Basic Enlisted Submarine School.
- abbreviationinitialismnatural sciencesInitialism of Balloon-borne Experiment with Superconducting Spectrometer.
- abbreviationinitialismInitialism of Battery Energy Storage System.
- abbreviationinitialismuncountablemedicineInitialism of biportal endoscopic spine surgery.
Origin
Variant of Beth, a clipping of Elizabeth.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Bess
Cite this entry
Bess. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bess
“Bess.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bess. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bess,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bess.
Source: Bess on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.