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Headmistress: meaning, definitions and examples

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headmistress

[ ˈhɛdˌmɪstrəs ]

Noun

^{Context #1 | Noun}

school leader

A headmistress is a female principal of a school. She is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the school, managing the staff, and ensuring the overall well-being and academic success of the students.

Synonyms

head teacher, principal, school director.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

Word	Description / Examples
headmistress	Typically used to refer to a female head of a private or boarding school, especially in British English. The headmistress of the academy announced new policies. She has been the headmistress here for over a decade.
principal	Widely used term in American English to describe the person in charge of a school. The principal introduced new extracurricular programs. Our school principal is very approachable.
head teacher	Commonly used in British English to denote the leader of a school, without specifying gender. The head teacher will address the parents during the meeting. Our head teacher is very involved in community activities.
school director	A more formal term that can apply to both public and private schools, indicating the administrative head. The school director has a meeting with the school board. The school director was responsible for the school's budget.

Examples of usage

The headmistress announced the new school policies during the assembly.
The headmistress is hosting a meeting with the parents next week to discuss the upcoming school events.

Translations

Translations of the word "headmistress" in other languages:

🇵🇹 diretora

🇮🇳 प्रधानाचार्या

🇩🇪 Schulleiterin

🇮🇩 kepala sekolah perempuan

🇺🇦 директорка

🇵🇱 dyrektorka

🇯🇵 校長先生 (こうちょうせんせい)

🇫🇷 directrice

🇪🇸 directora

🇹🇷 müdire

🇰🇷 여자 교장 (yeoja gyojang)

🇸🇦 مديرة المدرسة

🇨🇿 ředitelka

🇸🇰 riaditeľka

🇨🇳 女校长 (nǚ xiàozhǎng)

🇸🇮 ravnateljica

🇮🇸 skólastýra

🇰🇿 мектеп директоры (әйел)

🇬🇪 სკოლის დირექტორი (ქალი)

🇦🇿 məktəb direktoru (qadın)

🇲🇽 directora

Etymology

The term 'headmistress' originated in the mid-19th century as a feminine form of 'headmaster,' which referred to the principal of a school. Over time, as more women began to take on leadership roles in education, the term 'headmistress' became more widely used to specifically denote a female school principal.