shepherdess
noun
shepherdess is spelled S-H-E-P-H-E-R-D-E-S-S: 11 letters. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,980th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shepherdess means “A female shepherd” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shepherdess is shepherdesses.
How many letters and syllables are in shepherdess?
| Letters | 11: S-H-E-P-H-E-R-D-E-S-S |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 74,980th 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 shepherdess?
Shepherdess appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,980th 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 shepherdess
- shepherdesses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shepherdess mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
datedA female shepherd.
September 2014, New York Film Festival to Revive Paul Grimault’s Animated Classic IndieWire the satirical The King And The Mockingbird follows a chimney sweep and shepherdess on the run from a tyrannical king
- 2
A large and deep armchair with a cushion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shepherdess in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense female shepherd:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bergère, pastourelle |
| German | Hirtin, Schäferin, Schafhirtin |
| Portuguese | pastora |
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 shepherdess come from?
From Middle English scheperdesse, shepperdesse; equivalent to shepherd + -ess.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).