prioress
noun
prioress is spelled P-R-I-O-R-E-S-S: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, prioress means “A nun in charge of a priory (usually lower in rank than an abbess); mother superior” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of prioress is prioresses.
How many letters and syllables are in prioress?
| Letters | 8: P-R-I-O-R-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 88,353rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is prioress?
Prioress appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 88,353rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Forms of prioress
- prioresses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prioress mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A nun in charge of a priory (usually lower in rank than an abbess); mother superior.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prioress in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a nun in charge of a priory:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prieure, prieuresse |
| German | Priorin |
| Spanish | priora |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does prioress come from?
From Middle English prieresse, priorasse, priores, prioresse, priorisse, priouresse, priures, priuresse, prowres, pryoras, pryorys, pryowresse, from Medieval Latin priōrissa and Old French prioresse, prieuresse; equivalent to prior + -ess.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).