A marquess is a British nobleman: a man with a very high title, sitting just below a duke and just above an earl. It is the same rank as a marquis; marquess is the spelling Britain usually uses, marquis the French (and more international) one.

A marquess侯爵 is是 a British nobleman英國的貴族: a man with a very high title一個地位很高的爵位, sitting just below a duke and just above an earl排在公爵之下、伯爵之上。 It is the same rank as a marquis它跟 marquis 是同一個爵位; marquess is the spelling Britain usually uses marquess 是英國通常用的拼法, marquis the French (and more international) one marquis 則是法文（也比較國際通用）的拼法。

The word is a small trap. It ends in -ess, which in English nearly always marks a woman — actress, princess, lioness — but a marquess is a man. The title is given only to men. The woman’s title is marchioness.

The word is a small trap這個字是個小陷阱。 It ends in -ess它是 -ess 結尾, which in English nearly always marks a woman這在英文裡幾乎都是指女性 — actress actress（女演員）, princess princess（公主）, lioness lioness（母獅） — but a marquess is a man但 marquess 卻是男的。 The title is given only to men這個頭銜只給男性。 The woman's title is marchioness女性的頭銜是 marchioness。

You will meet this in history, in stories about the British upper class, and in the news when someone still holds the title. In ordinary life almost nobody needs it unless they are talking about that world.

You will meet this in history你會在歷史裡遇到這個字, in stories about the British upper class在講英國上流社會的故事裡, and in the news when someone still holds the title也會在新聞裡遇到，當還有人擁有這個頭銜的時候。 In ordinary life在日常生活中 almost nobody needs it幾乎沒有人用得到它 unless they are talking about that world除非在講那個世界。

People mix the two spellings all the time; both point to the same rank.

People mix the two spellings all the time人們常常把兩種拼法混著用; both point to the same rank兩個都指同一個爵位。