Plural of lioness; female lions, which are the primary hunters in lion prides and live together in family groups.
From 'lioness' (feminine form of lion) combining 'lion' from Latin 'leo' with the feminine suffix '-ess'. The term has been used since Middle English.
Lionesses do almost all the hunting in pride packs while male lions defend territory—this matriarchal structure is one of the few cases where a large predator society is female-led.
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