-esse

From Middle Dutch -esse, borrowed from Old Northern French -esse, from Late Latin -issa (as in abbātissa (“abbess”)).[1]

-esse

1. Creates the female form of persons or occupations, as English -ess.

   secretaris (“secretary, receptionist”) – secretaresse (“female secretary, female receptionist”)

• IPA^(key): /ɛs/

From Old French -ece, from Latin -itiam, the accusative of -itia. See also -ise.

-esse

1. used to form nouns describing the condition of being something (-ness, -ity, etc.)

From Middle French -esse, from Old French -esse, from Late Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).

-esse

1. -ess (female form)

• → Dutch: -es
• → English: -ess

-esse

1. Suffix forming the third-person singular imperfect subjunctive of -ere verbs.

From Old French -esse from Latin -issa, from Ancient Greek -ισσα (-issa).

• -es, -ess, -asse, -as, -eyse, -eys, -eis, -isse, -ysse, -iss, -yss, -ys, -is

-esse

1. Denotes a female form of otherwise male nouns denoting beings or persons.

• -en (displaced)

• English: -ess

• “-esse, (suf.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 24 June 2018.

-esse

1. Alternative form of -yssh

• “-ish, (suf.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 16 June 2018.

-esse

1. -ess (used to form feminine nouns from masculine ones)

• French: -esse