schoolmistress

noun

school·​mis·​tress ˈskül-ˌmi-strəs How to pronounce schoolmistress (audio)
: a woman who teaches school
schoolmistressy adjective

Examples of schoolmistress in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Four years later came her Oscar-winning portrayal of an idiosyncratic English schoolmistress in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2024 The inspiration for Jean Brodie was a charismatic schoolmistress called Christina Kay. Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 28 July 2020 The home above was empty, except for the small cry of a little girl (who had just received a good-night kiss but didn’t want to go to sleep), and the shadow of a hoop skirt, like a black devil in a perverse schoolmistress’s ankle boots. Silvina Ocampo, The New Yorker, 11 July 2019 Usually, one schoolmistress declares her love to another and is rebuffed. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2018 FacebookTwitterPinterest 1/12On a walk with school-mates and a schoolmistress, London, 1957.From Bettmann/Getty Images. Vanity Fair, Vanities, 28 Mar. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of schoolmistress was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near schoolmistress

Cite this Entry

“Schoolmistress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schoolmistress. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

schoolmistress

noun
school·​mis·​tress -ˌmis-trəs How to pronounce schoolmistress (audio)
: a woman who teaches school

More from Merriam-Webster on schoolmistress

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