Meanings
nounportress (plural portresses)
plural portresses · alternative porteress
- datedrareA female porter (person in control of the entrance to a building)
Origin
- Middle Englishporteresse
- Englishportress
From Middle English porteresse; equivalent to porter + -ess.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French portière
- portièrea female porter
Irish bandoirseoir
- bandoirseoira female porter
Portuguese porteira
- porteiraa female porter
Romanian portăreasă
- portăreasăa female porter
Cite this entry
APA
portress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portress
MLA
“portress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portress. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “portress,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/portress.
Source: portress on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.