noun
governess
GUH-vuh-nuhs
noun
1
A woman employed to educate children in their own home, typically living with the family.
"The children's governess taught them French and arithmetic every morning."
Word Forms
governessed past tense, governesses plural, governesses singular
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The children's _____ taught them French and arithmetic every morning.
Etymology
From Old French governeresse, "female ruler or administrator", eventually narrowed to mean a private live-in tutor for children.