Forms: 2–5 cuntesse, 3 -asse, contesse, -as, 3–4 contasse, 4 countas, cuntas, 4–5 countes(e, 4–7 -esse, (5 cowntasse, cunttass, cowntyse), 6– countess. Also 5 cometas, comytiss. [a. OF. cuntesse, contesse:—late L. comitissa, fem. of comes, comit-em: see COUNT sb.2 and -ESS. In 13th c. F. partially assimilated to L. as comtesse; the same influence produced the occasional 15th c. Eng. comytiss, cometas.]
1. The feminine of COUNT sb.2 a. The wife or widow of a COUNT. b. In the peerage of Great Britain and Ireland, the wife or widow of an EARL. c. A lady holding a position in her own right equal to that of a count or earl.
Besides being the proper feminine answering to the English EARL, the word is used like COUNT sb.2 to translate the cognate Romanic words, and also the German Gräfin and its cognates in Du., Da., etc.
1154. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 1140. Þe kinges dohter Henries, þe hefde ben Emperice in Alamanie & nu wæs cuntesse in Angou.
c. 1230. Hali Meid., 9. Aske þes cwenes, þes riche cuntasses.
1297. R. Glouc. (1724), 157. Ygerne, Gorloys wyf … þat was contasse of Cornewail. Ibid., 510. The contesse Isabel, that therl mareschales douȝter was, To Gilebred, Erl of Gloucestre, ispoused was.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 189. Countas of Marche was sche.
c. 1450. in Wr.-Wülcker, 691. Hec comitissa, comytiss. Ibid. (c. 1475), 792/6. Hec cometissa, cometas.
1460. Capgrave, Chron., 221. Prince Edward weddid Jone, the cuntesse of Kent.
1474. Caxton, Chesse, 103. Quenes, duchesses, countesses and alle other ladyes.
c. 1500. Melusine, 35. Specyally the Countesse, the said Erlis wyf.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., II. ii. 1. Were not you eu’n now, with the Countesse Oliuia?
1706–43. Chamberlayne, St. Gt. Brit., 179. The King … may, and often hath created Women to be Baronesses, Countesses, Dutchesses, and the like. Ibid., 180. The Lady Mary Compton, in King James the Firsts Time, was made Countess of Buckingham for Life.
1764. Maclaine, trans. Mosheim’s Eccl. Hist., III. XI. ii. § 16. The sanctimonious pontiff resided at that time with the young Mathilda, countess of Tuscany.
1892. Standard, 26 May, 3/3. The guests comprised …. Earl and Countess Waldegrave, the Earl and Countess of Gosford … the Dowager Countess of Mayo.
2. A middle size of roofing slate.
1803. Sporting Mag., XXII. 109. He had delivered … eight thousand Countesses and eleven thousand Ladies.
1823. P. Nicholson, Pract. Build., 395. The Welsh slates are generally classed in the following order:—Ladies 1 ft. 3 in. by 8 in.; Countesses 1 ft. 8 in. by 10 in.; Duchesses 2 ft. by 1 ft.
1840. Marryat, Olla Podr. (Rtldg.), 256. Countesses are very light, and the wind gets under them.
1883. Birmingh. Weekly Post, 1 Sept., 1/4. The disturbed slates rattled down on every side, regardless of the precedence in order of rank to which they were soon introduced as ‘ladies,’ ‘countesses,’ or ‘duchesses,’ according to their merits.
Hence Countessship, the quality, position or personality of a countess.
1612. Chapman, Widowes T., in Dodsley (1780), VI. 140. To see with what alacrity I’ll accost her Countessship.
1874. Trollope, Lady Anna, ii. 16. If the countess-ship of the countess were to be admitted…?
