the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
"After years of campaigning, she was finally invested as duchess when she inherited the earldom from her mother."
The wife or widow of a duke.
"After her husband passed away, the grieving duchess held court in the grand hall to honor his memory."
to court or curry favour for political or business advantage; to flatter obsequiously.
"The junior minister was accused of duchessing his way into a lucrative contract by constantly praising the CEO's questionable decisions."
A village in Alberta, Canada.
"We stopped at Duchess on our way to Banff to grab some coffee and fresh fruit from the local farm stand."
The word comes from the Old French duchesse. It originally meant a female ruler or noblewoman holding the title of duchy.