mayoress

M3A1Y4O1R1E1S1S1
US/meɪɚˈɛs/UK/mɛəˈɹɛs/UK/meɪəˈɹɛs/

noun

A female mayor.

Similar
mayorlady mayor
Opposite
RareScrabble 13

Meanings

nounmayoress (plural mayoresses)

plural mayoresses · alternative obsolete maioress · alternative obsolete maioresse · alternative obsolete majoresse · alternative obsolete mayoresse

  1. A female mayor.

    With the Spanish port of Cadiz doubling for the Cuban capital Havana, its striking blonde Mayoress Teofila Martinez was offered a small role as a nurse, but she politely declined.

    2002, Andy Lane, Paul Simpson, The Bond Files: An Unofficial Guide, →ISBN, page 276
    1 more example

    The blonde mayoress was apparently a member of the MPLA and there were indications that spies in the town were sending radio messages to the enemy. Life was monotonous and the troops took to fishing to supplement their rations.

    1993, Ian S. Uys, Bushman soldiers, their alpha and omega, page 39
  2. The wife of a (male) mayor.

    No Roman-Empress ever did out-shine, A Lady Majoress when she would be fine.

    1681, The Glory of the English Nation, or An Essay on the Birth-Day of King Charles the Second, London: […] W. Bucknel
    2 more examples

    To a Lady Majoress. WHen I behold your head and limbs all shaking Much like a Custard newly come from baking, Your Velvet hood on tipto rais’d upright As if your Hinch boy challenge would to fight. Your pretty mouth, like Oyster gaping wide, As if it did expect ere long the tyde; Your Chin like Aple, both so red and shrivel’d, So scalded by a hot rhume hourly drivel’d.

    1658, Iohn Eliot, Poems, or, Epigrams, Satyrs, Elegies, Songs and Sonnets, upon Several Persons and Occasions, London: […] Henry Brome, page 48

    Prophets wives were anciently called Prophetesses; like as Bishops wives (saith à Lapide the Jesuit) were also called Bishoppesses, Presbyters wives Presbyteresses, Deacons wives Deaconesses: Jesuits have still their Jesuitesses, as Majors their Majoresses, &c.

    1660, John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon These Following Books of Holy Scripture Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel & Daniel: Being a Third Volume of Annotations upon the Whole Bible, London: […] Robert White, for Nevil Simmons, page 42
  3. A daughter or female friend of a male mayor chosen by him to hold the title mayoress.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
mayorlady mayor
Opposite
Also see

Origin

  1. Middle Englishmeyresse
  2. Englishmayoress

From Middle English meyresse, mayresse, mairasse; equivalent to mayor + -ess.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian кмети́ца, градонача́лничка
  • кмети́ца (kmetíca)female mayor
  • градонача́лничка (gradonačálnička)female mayor
  • градонача́лница (gradonačálnica)female mayor
Czech starostka
  • starostkafemale mayor
Dutch burgemeesteres
  • burgemeesteresfemale mayor
Esperanto urbestrino
  • urbestrinofemale mayor
French mairesse, mairesse
  • mairessefemale mayor
  • mairessemayor's wife
German Bürgermeisterin
  • Bürgermeisterinfemale mayor
Greek δήμαρχος, δημαρχίνα
  • δήμαρχος (dímarchos)female mayor
  • δημαρχίνα (dimarchína)female mayor
Italian sindaca, podestaressa
  • sindacafemale mayor
  • podestaressamayor's wife
Latvian mēre
  • mērefemale mayor
Lithuanian merė
  • merėfemale mayor
Polish burmistrzyni
  • burmistrzynifemale mayor
Portuguese prefeita
  • prefeitafemale mayor
Romanian primăriță, primăreasă
  • primărițăfemale mayor
  • primăreasăfemale mayor
Russian градонача́льница
  • градонача́льница (gradonačálʹnica)female mayor
Slovak starostka
  • starostkafemale mayor
Spanish alcaldesa
  • alcaldesafemale mayor

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with mayoress

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

mayoress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mayoress

MLA

“mayoress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mayoress. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mayoress,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mayoress.

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