Etymograph

English

princess

Princess comes from Middle English princesse, from Anglo-Norman and Old French princesse, a feminine of prince.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400princesse1‘princess’
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400princesse1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500princesse1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1596princess1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English princess
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book V, Canto XII: “And running all with greedie ioyfulnesse / To faire…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400princesseWiktionary, English princess‘princess’
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400princesseWiktionary, English princess
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500princesseWiktionary, English princess
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1596princessWiktionary, English princess. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book V, Canto XII: “And running all with greedie ioyfulnesse / To faire…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with princess, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p-

13 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

noun A female member of a royal family other than a queen, especially a daughter or granddaughter of a monarch.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “princess”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old French princesse / princess