actress
noun/ˈæk.tɹɪs/ · [ˈæk.tɹ̝̊ɪs]
Etymology From actor + -ess. Probably formed independently of Middle French actrice.
1
A female who performs on the stage or in films.
- A while ago somewhere I don't know when / I was watchin' a movie with a friend / I fell in love with the actress / She was playin' a part that I could understand1972, Neil Young, “A Man Needs a Maid”, in Harvest:
- "I'm an actress -- actor, as we have to say these days."2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 88:
1 more example
- Court documents appear to show that Ian Edmondson, a senior News of the World journalist, had authorised Mr Mulcaire to hack phones belonging to Sienna Miller, an actress.2011 January 27, “Not going quietly”, in The Economist:
2
Archaic A female doer or "actor" (in a general sense).
- My mental anguish, and the dreadful scenes in which I had been an actress, advanced the period of my labour.1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society, published 1985, page 290:
- Derived terms
- actressy, adult actress, as the actress said to the bishop, as the bishop said to the actress, said the actress to the bishop, said the bishop to the actress, blacktress, character actress, live actress, mattress actress, play-actress, supporting actress, voice actress
- Related terms
- actrix