procuress

/pɹəˈkjʊəɹɪs/

//pɹəˈkjʊəɹɪs// noun

"procuress" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“procuress” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A middlewoman: a woman who performs as a go-between, an intermediary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-procuress · procuress · English

procuress · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for procuress
PropertyValue
Headwordprocuress
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəˈkjʊəɹɪs/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “procuress” in English

procuresssits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

procuress is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹəˈkjʊəɹɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for procuress, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French procureresse (compare French procureuse), corresponding to procure + -ess. The correct English form is procuress, spelled P-R-O-C-U-R-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A middlewoman: a woman who performs as a go-between, an intermediary.
  2. 2
    A female procurer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how procuress appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The Spaniard, who will seduce any girl he can, is pitiless under like circumstances to his own womenkind; so there is much weeping, the girl is turned out of doors and falls readily into the hands of the procuress. In the brothels of Seville or of Madrid she finds at least a roof and bread to eat.
  2. Old witches in the cities and country-side throve upon the sale of death spells and love philtres. They also made a trade of abortificants, and frequently practised the whiles of the procuress.

Etymology

From Old French procureresse (compare French procureuse), corresponding to procure + -ess.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "procuress"?
"procuress" is spelled P-R-O-C-U-R-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈkjʊəɹɪs/.
What does "procuress" mean?
As a noun, "procuress" means: A middlewoman: a woman who performs as a go-between, an intermediary.
How do you pronounce "procuress"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "procuress" is /pɹəˈkjʊəɹɪs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "procuress"?
From Old French procureresse (compare French procureuse), corresponding to procure + -ess. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list