lioness en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈlaɪ.ə.nɪs/
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈlaɪ.ə.nɛs/
Etymology
From Middle English leonesse, lyonesse, from Old French leonesse, lionesse; equivalent to lion + -ess.
Meanings
-
A female lion (animal).
Residents on the south-western outskirts of Berlin are being urged to stay indoors after overnight sightings of a “loose, dangerous animal”, suspected to be an escaped lioness.
2023 July 20, Philip Oltermann, “Lioness believed to be on loose in Berlin”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2023:
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(figuratively) A female lion (famous person regarded with interest and curiosity).
The Middlesbrough Labour MP, Stuart Bell, a political and personal friend, said: "Mo was a lioness both in terms of the Labour party and politics nationally. She cut to the quick with any issue and proved herself a stateswoman of the highest order when seeking to negotiate the Northern Ireland Good Friday agreement.
2005 August 19, James Sturcke, quoting Stuart Bell, “Mowlam a political ‘lioness’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2023:The social worker said she talked to her 28-year-old daughter about the battles Feinstein fought so that younger generations of women could dream bigger. “She was a lioness.”
2023 October 6, “Memorial honors trailblazing senator Dianne Feinstein: ‘She was a lioness’”, in The Guardian, sourced from Associated Press, →ISSN, archived from the original on 21 Feb 2024:The stories were a tremendous success; she was one of the leading lionesses of London literary society.
1877, The Contemporary Review, volume 29, page 1123:
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(obsolete, qualifier:Oxford University slang) A female visitor to a student at Oxford, especially during commemoration week.
When "lionesses" visiting Oxford for the gay doings of commemoration week spend a morning at Merton, they should look out for Antony Wood's mural tablet in the chapel, […]
1871, John Cordy Jeaffreson, Annals of Oxford, page 305:"Now, boys, keep your eyes open, there must be plenty of lionesses about;" and thus warned, the whole load, including the cornopean player, were on the look-out for lady visitors, profanely called lionesses, all the way up the street.
1888, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, page 271:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| lionesses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
werelioness · lionesslike · mountain lioness · African lioness
Synonyms
Translations (104)
lv lauvene (female lion) · uk леви́ця (female lion) · la leaena (female lion) · cs lvice (female lion) · dsb lawowka (female lion) · nn løvinne (female lion) · ar لَبْوَة (female lion) · be ільві́ца (female lion) · el λιονταρίνα (female lion) · el λέαινα (female lion) · grc λέαινᾰ (female lion) · id singa betina (female lion) · ru льви́ца (female lion) · pa شیرنِی (female lion) · hrx Leevin (female lion) · da hunløve (female lion) · pa ਸ਼ੇਰਨੀ (female lion) · hi शेरनी (female lion) · sh лавица (female lion) · tr dişi aslan (female lion) · arz اسدة (female lion) · mn эрслэн (female lion) · nb løvinne (famous person) · ur شیرنی (female lion) · yi לייביכע (female lion) · uga 𐎍𐎁𐎛𐎚 (female lion) · ta பெண்சிங்கம் (female lion) · eo leonino (female lion) · hsb lawica (female lion) · sq luaneshë (female lion) · ast lleona (female lion) · sh lavica (female lion) · nap lionessa (female lion) · de Löwin (female lion) · be льві́ца (female lion) · fy liuwinne (female lion) · arc אריותא (female lion) · ja 母獅 (female lion) · co lionessa (female lion) · oc leona (female lion) · iso ajalakpo (female lion) · su singa bikang (female lion) · bg лъви́ца (female lion) · vi sư tử cái (female lion) · gd ban-leòmhann (female lion) · cmn 母狮子 (female lion) · fi naarasleijona (female lion) · ja 雌ライオン (female lion) · vo jilein (female lion) · hu nőstény oroszlán (female lion) · gu સિંહિયો (female lion) · la lea (female lion) · nb løvinne (female lion) · he לביאה (female lion) · ky ургаачы арстан (female lion) · sw simba jike (female lion) · dsb lawica (female lion) · scn liuna (female lion) · sk levica (female lion) · syc ܐܪܝܘܬܐ (female lion) · my ခြင်္သေ့မ (female lion) · hy էգ առյուծ (female lion) · bn সিংহী (female lion) · fr lionne (female lion) · ca lleona (female lion) · mk лавица (female lion) · sl levinja (female lion) · egy U2:D4-t:E22 (female lion) · ar لَبُؤَة (female lion) · kn ಸಿಂಹಿಣಿ (female lion) · hu nőstényoroszlán (female lion) · io leonino (female lion) · pt leoa (female lion) · sv lejonhona (female lion) · lb Léiwin (female lion) · cop ⲗⲁⲃⲟⲓ (female lion) · mn ᠡᠷᠰᠯᠡᠨ (female lion) · af leeuin (female lion) · nl leeuwin (female lion) · gl leoa (female lion) · lt liūtė (female lion) · te సివంగి (female lion) · sv lejoninna (female lion) · ne सिंहनी (female lion) · ms singa betina (female lion) · sa सिंहा (female lion) · it leonessa (female lion) · hu oroszlánhölgy (female lion) · aeb لَبَّة (female lion) · pl lwica (female lion) · ia leonessa (female lion) · cmn 母狮 (female lion) · hi सिंहनी (female lion) · kk қаншыр (female lion) · mt leoness (female lion) · mr सिंहीण (female lion) · is ljónynja (female lion) · ro leoaică (female lion) · es leona (female lion) · da løvinde (female lion) · skr شِینہݨِی (female lion) · sn shumba hadzi (female lion) · ko 암사자 (female lion) · ps زمرۍ (female lion)