ending _-ster_; as _seam-str-ess_, _song-str-ess_. The ending _-ster_
had then lost its force as a feminine suffix; it has none now in the
words _huckster_, _gamester_, _trickster_, _punster_.


[Sidenote: _Ending of masculine not changed._]

30. The ending _-ess_ is added to many words without changing the
ending of the masculine; as,--

baron--baroness
count--countess
lion--lioness
Jew--Jewess
heir--heiress
host--hostess
priest--priestess
giant--giantess

[Sidenote: _Masculine ending dropped._]

The masculine ending may be dropped before the feminine _-ess_ is
added; as,--

abbot--abbess
negro--negress
murderer--murderess
sorcerer--sorceress

[Sidenote: _Vowel dropped before adding_ -ess.]