Early 17th century; earliest use found in George Chapman (?1560–1634), poet and playwright. From explorator + -ess, in recent use perhaps after French exploratrice.
Definition of exploratress in US English:
exploratress
noun
rare
A female explorer.
Origin
Early 17th century; earliest use found in George Chapman (?1560–1634), poet and playwright. From explorator + -ess, in recent use perhaps after French exploratrice.