governess

/ˈɡʌvənəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡʌvərnəs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgə-vər-nəs/ (ame, mw)

governess — noun

  • governesssingular
  • governessesplural

1. In past times, a woman employed by a wealthy family to live in their house and g

1.名詞B2
釋義

In past times, a woman employed by a wealthy family to live in their house and give lessons to the children who live there.

例句

The Chen family hired a governess to teach their daughters French and piano at their London townhouse.

collocation: hire a governess

In Victorian novels, the governess is often a young woman from a respectable but poor family.

typical literary context

同義詞
  • tutor

    a teacher who gives private lessons to one student or a small group, but does not necessarily live with the family

  • nanny

    a woman employed to look after a family's children, with more focus on care than on formal teaching

用法筆記

Primarily found in historical narratives and 19th-century literature. In modern contexts, 'nanny' or 'private tutor' are more common for similar roles.

常見錯誤

❌The school hired three governesses for the new term.
✅The wealthy family hired a governess to teach their children at home.
💡Governesses work in private homes, not schools.
❌They hired a governess to babysit while they went out for dinner.
✅They hired a nanny to babysit while they went out for dinner.
💡A governess focuses on teaching; a nanny provides general childcare.