lionesses
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Ladies visiting an Oxford man, especially at "Commemoration," which is the chief time for receiving feminine visitors at the University.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “lionesses” mean?
Ladies visiting an Oxford man, especially at "Commemoration," which is the chief time for receiving feminine visitors at the University.
Is “lionesses” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.