doggess

English

Alternative forms

• dogess

Etymology

dog +‎ -ess

Noun

doggess (plural doggesses)

1. (rare) A female dog.
   • 1856, Pictures of Comical People, with Stories about Them, page 158:

     The sound even called back the departing senses of the dying doggess. She drew me to her with her paws, and made an effort to lick me. The action quite melted me.

2. (rare, offensive, derogatory) A woman.
   • 2007 August 7, Michael M. Grynbaum, “It’s a Female Dog, or Worse. Or Endearing. And Illegal?”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Ten rappers were cited in the legislation, along with an excerpt from an 1811 dictionary that defined the word as “A she dog, or doggess; the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman.”

   • 2011, Sense and Sensuality: Erotic Fantasies in the World of Jane Austen, page 13:

     She snatched up the spellbook, tucked it into her reticule, and turned back to-ward the house. “I shall leave you to find your own way home.” “Mar-all!” The demon shouted at her back. “Doggess! You'll not be rid of me so easy!”

Synonyms

• (a female dog): bitch
• ((insulting term for) a woman): bitch