lioness

plural lionesses

1. A female lion (animal).

   Residents on the south-western outskirts of Berlin are being urged to stay indoors after overnight sightings of a “loose, dangerous animal”, suspected to be an escaped lioness.

   2023 July 20, Philip Oltermann, “Lioness believed to be on loose in Berlin”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2023

   Synonyms: queen of beasts

2. figurativelyA female lion (famous person regarded with interest and curiosity).

   The stories were a tremendous success; she was one of the leading lionesses of London literary society.

   1877, The Contemporary Review, volume 29, page 1123

   2 more examples

   The Middlesbrough Labour MP, Stuart Bell, a political and personal friend, said: "Mo was a lioness both in terms of the Labour party and politics nationally. She cut to the quick with any issue and proved herself a stateswoman of the highest order when seeking to negotiate the Northern Ireland Good Friday agreement.

   2005 August 19, James Sturcke, quoting Stuart Bell, “Mowlam a political ‘lioness’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2023

   The social worker said she talked to her 28-year-old daughter about the battles Feinstein fought so that younger generations of women could dream bigger. “She was a lioness.”

   2023 October 6, “Memorial honors trailblazing senator Dianne Feinstein: ‘She was a lioness’”, in The Guardian, sourced from Associated Press, →ISSN, archived from the original on 21 Feb 2024

3. obsoleteOxford University slangA female visitor to a student at Oxford, especially during commemoration week.

   When "lionesses" visiting Oxford for the gay doings of commemoration week spend a morning at Merton, they should look out for Antony Wood's mural tablet in the chapel, […]

   1871, John Cordy Jeaffreson, Annals of Oxford, page 305

   1 more example

   "Now, boys, keep your eyes open, there must be plenty of lionesses about;" and thus warned, the whole load, including the cornopean player, were on the look-out for lady visitors, profanely called lionesses, all the way up the street.

   1888, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, page 271

plural Lionesses

1. ball gamesA player for England women's national football team