invigilatrix

noun

invigilatrix

noun

/ɪnˈvɪd͡ʒɪleɪtɹɪks/

Etymology Formed as invigilate + -trix, after invigilator. Compare the Italian invigilatrice.

1

Rare A woman (or entity given female personification) who invigilates; a female invigilator.

  • A History paper was lately set, at a girls’ school, on a certain period of English history—say the Reformation. One question was: “Mention the person in your period who interests you most, and give your reasons.” During the examination some female præpostor or other subaltern was sitting with the girls, some of whom asked, “Does ‘your period’ mean our period?” “Yes,” said the invigilatrix, if that is the word for the fair looker-on.1911 January 7, Andrew Lang, “At the Sign of St. Paul’s: Andrew Lang on Scott and Golf, Ghosts, and Literary Examinations”, in The Illustrated London News, volume CXXXVIII, number 3742, London: [T]he Illustrated London News and Sketch, Limited, page 16, column 3:
  • Our invigilatrix was my WEA widow, earning a little daytime money by giving out the papers and watching for cheaters.1987, Anthony Burgess, Little Wilson and Big God, page 145:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.