Dictionary

songstress en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈsɑŋɡ.stɹɪs/ (General-American)

Etymology

From songster + -ess. Compare West Frisian sjongeres (“songstress”), Dutch zangeres (“songstress”).

Meanings

1. A female singer.
   • The songstress paused, and was answered by one or two deep and hollow groans, that seemed to proceed from the very agony of the mortal strife. 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:
   • Were I to reproduce the nine other paragraphs, it would be a very curious, instructive, and tedious specimen of literature; and, who knows? I might corrupt some immaculate soul, inspire some actor or actress, singer or songstress, with an itch for public self-laudation, a foible from which they are all at present so free. Witness the Era, the Hornet, and Figaro. 1877, Charles Reade, A Woman-Hater:
   • At every pause in the music she gracefully waved her flower-basket round, inviting the loiterers to buy; and many a sesterce was showered into the basket, either in compliment to the music or in compassion to the songstress—for she was blind. 1834, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter II, in The Last Days of Pompeii. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […]; successor to Henry Colburn, →OCLC:
   • Sally Yeh is the winsome and amiable character known as Stool, who’s living next door to the ambitious and tetchy songstress Shu-Shu, who’s both commanding and funny as portrayed by Sylvia Chang. 2025 June 19, Glenn Kenny, “‘Shanghai Blues’ Review: Slapstick Fun in a 1984 Tsui Hark Picture”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
2. A female songbird.

Forms

Relateds

songster

Synonyms

chantress (female singer) · chanteuse (female singer) · singeress (female singer) · cantrix (female singer)

Translations (32)

ja 女性歌手 (a female singer) · cs zpěvačka (a female singer) · ru певу́нья (a female singer) · yi זינגערין (a female singer) · sv sångerska (a female singer) · enm syngster (a female singer) · fi naislaulaja (a female singer) · uk співа́чка (a female singer) · la cantrīx (a female singer) · da sangerinde (a female singer) · es cantora (a female singer) · gd bean-seinn (a female singer) · enm syngeresse (a female singer) · it cantante (a female singer) · eo kantistino (a female singer) · pt cantora (a female singer) · sh пјева̀чица (a female singer) · ja 歌姫 (a female singer) · cmn 女歌手 (a female singer) · nb sangerinne (a female singer) · fr chanteuse (a female singer) · yi זינגערקע (a female singer) · fi laulajatar (a female singer) · hu énekesnő (a female singer) · bg певи́ца (a female singer) · pl pieśniarka (a female singer) · nl zangeres (a female singer) · de Sängerin (a female singer) · ru певи́ца (a female singer) · cs pěvkyně (a female singer) · sh pjevàčica (a female singer) · es cantante (a female singer)