Female deities or divine beings worshipped in religions, or metaphorically, women greatly admired for beauty or skill.
From 'goddess,' combining 'god' (Old English from Germanic roots) with the feminine suffix '-ess.' The word has existed since Old English to describe female divinities in any religion or mythological system.
Interestingly, adding '-ess' to create feminine forms like 'actress' or 'goddess' is becoming less common in modern English as people move toward gender-neutral language, but it shows how grammar itself encodes ideas about gender.
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