herdess

H4E1R1D2E1S1S1

noun

A shepherdess; a female herder.

Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nounherdess (plural herdesses)

plural herdesses

  1. A shepherdess; a female herder.

    She is the herdess fair that shines in dark, And gives her kids no food, but willows bark

    The New Arcadia

    a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC

Origin

From herd + -ess.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

herdess. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/herdess

MLA

“herdess.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/herdess. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “herdess,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/herdess.

Source: herdess on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.