In general there is no distinction between masculine, feminine and neuter in English nouns. However, gender is sometimes shown by different forms or different words.
Ways of forming masculine and feminine pairs:
There are three ways of forming the Feminine of Nouns:
(1) By using an entirely different word:
eg. Boy - Girl
(2) By adding a syllable (-ess, -ine, -trix, -a, etc) as,
Baron - Baroness
(3) By placing a word before or after as:
grandfather - grandmother
(1) By using an entirely different word:
(2) By adding a syllable :
ess is used for many words, eg. governor goes to governess ... and so on, but there are other like trix or adding a. So let's see how it is done:
(a.) -trix, in a few Nouns taken directly from the Latin: as,-
Masculine Feminine
administrator administratrix
executor executrix
testator testatrix
(b) -en, an old feminine suffix of which only one pure English example remains : vix-en (0. E. fixen ; Germ. fuchsin), she-fox; hence, a spiteful woman.
To this head belong also-
Masculine Feminine
hero heroine (Greek)
landgrave landgravine (German)
margrave margravine (German)
comedian comedienne (French)
(c.) -ster, an old English ending, of which only one example is now in use as feminine : spin-ster-(lit.she that spins; viz. with the spinning-wheel); an unmarried woman. Also song-ster was originally feminine, so that song-str-ess has two feminine endings. In like manner semp-str-ess from the verb seam, has two feminine endings.
Masculine Feminine
don donna (Italian)
infant infanta(Spanish)
signor signora (Italian)
So- sultan sultana
Ways of forming masculine and feminine pairs:
There are three ways of forming the Feminine of Nouns:
(1) By using an entirely different word:
eg. Boy - Girl
(2) By adding a syllable (-ess, -ine, -trix, -a, etc) as,
Baron - Baroness
(3) By placing a word before or after as:
grandfather - grandmother
(1) By using an entirely different word:
(2) By adding a syllable :
ess is used for many words, eg. governor goes to governess ... and so on, but there are other like trix or adding a. So let's see how it is done:
(a.) -trix, in a few Nouns taken directly from the Latin: as,-
Masculine Feminine
administrator administratrix
executor executrix
testator testatrix
(b) -en, an old feminine suffix of which only one pure English example remains : vix-en (0. E. fixen ; Germ. fuchsin), she-fox; hence, a spiteful woman.
To this head belong also-
Masculine Feminine
hero heroine (Greek)
landgrave landgravine (German)
margrave margravine (German)
comedian comedienne (French)
(c.) -ster, an old English ending, of which only one example is now in use as feminine : spin-ster-(lit.she that spins; viz. with the spinning-wheel); an unmarried woman. Also song-ster was originally feminine, so that song-str-ess has two feminine endings. In like manner semp-str-ess from the verb seam, has two feminine endings.
Note. But (the termination -ster came to be used as a masculine. This appears in such old words as brewster, huckster, maltster, tapster.(d.) -a in a few Romance words:-
Masculine Feminine
don donna (Italian)
infant infanta(Spanish)
signor signora (Italian)
So- sultan sultana
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