Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A female being of supernatural powers or attributes, believed in and worshiped by a people.
  • noun A female being believed to be the source of life and being and worshiped as the principal deity in various religions. Used with the.
  • noun An image of a female supernatural being; an idol.
  • noun Something, such as fame or wealth, that is worshiped or idealized.
  • noun A woman of great beauty or grace.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A female god or deity.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A female god; a divinity, or deity, of the female sex.
  • noun A woman of superior charms or excellence.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun religion A female deity.
  • noun figuratively A human female honored or adored as physically attractive or of superior charm and intelligence.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a female deity

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

god +‎ -ess, from ca. 1350. The figurative meaning is early modern, first found in Spenser's Shepheardes calender (1579).

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