directrice

Directrice is the feminine form of directeur and is used in French to refer to a woman who heads or administers an organization, institution, company, or project. The term designates a position of leadership rather than a specific person, and it can apply to schools, government agencies, cultural institutions, nonprofits, and other bodies. Examples include la directrice d'une école (the head of a school) or la directrice générale d'une entreprise (the chief executive officer).

Grammatical notes: The masculine form is directeur; the feminine form is directrice. The plural form is directrices. As a title, directrice is typically capitalized in formal usage when preceding a name (Directrice Dupont) in certain institutional styles, but common practice is to use the lowercase form in running text.

Etymology and related terms: Directrice comes from the masculine directeur, both deriving from Latin directus meaning guided or directed. In contemporary French, the term is widely used across sectors to designate a female leader. In some contexts, gender-inclusive language may also employ alternatives such as dirigeante or administratrice, depending on style or preference.

Usage in different fields: In business and administration, directrice is standard for a female head of a company or department. In education, it refers to the principal or head of a school. In the arts and film, however, the term most often used for a female director of a film is réalisatrice rather than directrice, though directrice may appear when referring to leadership roles within an artistic organization.

See also: directeur, dirigeante, administratrice, réalisatrice.