EMPRESS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does empress mean? 

• EMPRESS (noun)
  The noun EMPRESS has 1 sense:

1. a woman emperor or the wife of an emperor

  Familiarity information: EMPRESS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EMPRESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A woman emperor or the wife of an emperor

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("empress" is a kind of...):

emperor (the male ruler of an empire)

Instance hyponyms:

Catherine I (empress of Russia who succeeded her husband Peter the Great (1684-1727))

Catherine; Catherine II; Catherine the Great (empress of Russia who greatly increased the territory of the empire (1729-1796))

Queen Victoria; Victoria (queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901))

 Context examples 

The emperor and his train alighted from their horses, the empress and ladies from their coaches, and I did not perceive they were in any fright or concern.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

I've seen the imperial family several times, the emperor an ugly, hard-looking man, the empress pale and pretty, but dressed in bad taste, I thought—purple dress, green hat, and yellow gloves.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

All I know of the rest of the evening is, that I heard the empress of my heart sing enchanted ballads in the French language, generally to the effect that, whatever was the matter, we ought always to dance, Ta ra la, Ta ra la! accompanying herself on a glorified instrument, resembling a guitar.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I lay on the ground to kiss his majesty’s and the empress’s hands.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

There I saw the empress and the young princes, in their several lodgings, with their chief attendants about them.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

There is likewise another diversion, which is only shown before the emperor and empress, and first minister, upon particular occasions.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

The emperor and royal family came out of the palace; I lay down on my face to kiss his hand, which he very graciously gave me: so did the empress and young princes of the blood.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

The empress, and young princes of the blood of both sexes, attended by many ladies, sat at some distance in their chairs; but upon the accident that happened to the emperor’s horse, they alighted, and came near his person, which I am now going to describe.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

The parallel sticks secured them and their horses from falling over the stage; and the emperor was so much delighted, that he ordered this entertainment to be repeated several days, and once was pleased to be lifted up and give the word of command; and with great difficulty persuaded even the empress herself to let me hold her in her close chair within two yards of the stage, when she was able to take a full view of the whole performance.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

But as I was out of all fear of being ill-treated under the protection of so great and good an empress, the ornament of nature, the darling of the world, the delight of her subjects, the phoenix of the creation, so I hoped my late master’s apprehensions would appear to be groundless; for I already found my spirits revive, by the influence of her most august presence.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)