A woman who plays games habitually; the female equivalent of gamester.
From 'gamester' (game + -ster) with the addition of the feminine suffix '-ress' (from Old French '-eresse'), creating a gendered noun for a female game player.
The '-ress' suffix marks one of English's old gender divisions—'gamestress' is rarely used today because modern English prefers gender-neutral terms like 'gamester' regardless of gender.
The '-ess' suffix marks a female gamester as exceptional or 'other,' suggesting female gaming participation is derivative of or secondary to male gaming norms.
Use 'game player' or 'gambler' regardless of gender. If gender is relevant to context, state it separately. Example: 'The player (a woman) dominated the tournament.'
["game player","gambler","player"]
Marking women with '-ess' diminished their standing in gaming history; recovery of unnamed female strategists and players is ongoing.
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