Genderization of words

[LFI]

Okay, here's one that's bothered me for years. It's a puzzle I came up with, but then forgot the solution!

Many years ago, in high school, I was working on a play. A word from the play made me think of this:

How many instances of word-pairs are there in which the male version of the word is LONGER than the female version? Here I am speaking of words that share the same root (and, because I grew up in the U.S., speaking English, and doing semi-decently-to-just-eh in my foreign language classes... only words in English).

Normally, the female version is longer. Cases-in-point:
Steward/Stewardess
Count/Countess
Waiter/Waitress
Actor/Actress
etc.

I was able to think of three such word pairs. One was inspired by the play and the other two are hidden in the block below:

widower/widow
mister/miss

I am also hiding the name of the play for those who want a hint, and I suppose I could go back myself and read it to find the word that originally inspired me!

Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"

So can anyone think of the third word pair? ...or any others? ...or disagree with my answers as valid solutions to this puzzle?

--Dave

 

[SkipVought]

[white]widower - widow[/white]

Skip,

_{[red]Be advised:[/red] When transmitting sheet music...
If it ain't baroque, don't fax it!}

 

[Thadeus]

[white]Wizard and Witch[/white]

 

[LFI]

Thadeus,

I think those words were both in the play I am referencing, but I do not think of them as having the same root. I could be wrong about this (and I guess I could whip out my portable OED (ha!) and check), but I do not think that this was the pair that originally inspired my question. However, it was either some word used to describe the same thing, or a word for:

...someone who cheats on their spouse.

SkipVought,

Yes! That's one!

--Dave

 

[CajunCenturion]

Thadeus -

[COLOR=white white]Did you mean Warlock and Witch?[/color]

Good Luck
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[SF0751]

Based on your second hint, I came up with

[white]adulterer/adulteress[/white]

but that can't be right because the female version contains one more letter than the male version.

Susan
"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

 

[hilfy]

CajunCenturion

[white]A Warlock is NOT the male version of a Witch...A Warlock is an oathbreaker and a male witch is a witch.[/white]

Yes, it's a quibble, but I am Wiccan and this is a misconception that really irks me. [/soapbox]

-Dell

 

[CajunCenturion]

Thank you hilfy, that's good to know.

Good Luck
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To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[entaroadun]

The etymology of the word 'witch' (on Merriam Webster) states that the male counterpart is 'wizard'.

Blessed be.

 

[Thadeus]

Thank you, entaroadun for backing me up with some facts while I was away for the evening.

I only posted originally because I had checked the words in the Online Merriam-Webster first. I admit I went looking for the word Warlock first because I wasn't sure what the etymology might bring about...

Hilfy - The words stem from the same root and represent the male and female terms for a concept that may not be PC among wiccans but the root of which cannot be denied. I myself lean toward a wiccan understanding of the world. BTW, nice to meet you.

 

[snuv]

[COLOR=white] Knight/Dame(in the uk honours system anyway)
[/color]

Go not to cats for advice for they will just walk over the keyboard

 

[snuv]

[COLOR=white]
I thought that ms,miss, mrs, and missis were all contractions of mistress but I guess that as miss is listed as a separate word, it counts
[/color]

Go not to cats for advice for they will just walk over the keyboard

 

[mscallisto]

[white] bride  bridegroom [/white]

and "Arnold" would say:

[white] girl girlyman [/white]

but I guess you will reject the latter!

 

[snuv]

[COLOR=white]
other possibles
Gentleman/lady (i think that strictly the male vesion of lady is lord)
Bull/cow
Boar/sow
Stallion/mare
[/color]

Go not to cats for advice for they will just walk over the keyboard

 

[Thadeus]

LookingForInfo said:

Here I am speaking of words that share the same root

snuv, I think you are missing this point which is what makes it difficult.

If I'm wrong someone please correct me, because I have plenty of entries using the 'snuv-method'

Look at that, got a method named after you

~Thadeus

 

[LFI]

snuv is right on one account.

dictionary.com states that:

miss is short for mistress

...making my second answer NOT an answer.

Thadeus, you are correct in pointing out that I am looking for words with the same root.

'speaking of which (no pun intended): again, according to dictionary.com, the root for "wizard" is a word for "wise," while no such suggestion is made in the entry for "witch". "Warlock" seems to come from a word meaning "oath breaker." I suppose I should subscribe to an OED site, so I can get a higher authority on this. Comments?

Hats of to mscallisto for coming up with one I don't think I'd thought of before! So if my list was shortened by one, based on snuv's point, then it's been increased again to three... if only I could think of what that third one is!

--Dave

 

[entaroadun]

I think (I have nothing concrete to back this) that the etymology of mister and missus is actually different.

Mister, I think, comes from "My Sir". The corresponding term should be "My Lady". In French, the pair would be monsieur/madame. Don't know if this counts.

Missus is short for mistress and the corresponding term would be master.

 

[snuv]

bother - missed the bit specifying the same root
sorry about that

Go not to cats for advice for they will just walk over the keyboard

 

[LFI]

entaroadun,

dictionary.com says that mister is an "alteration of master" and then (in its definition of "mistress") goes on to agree with you about mistress/master:

Middle English maistresse, from Old French, feminine of maistre, master, from Latin magister. See master.

Interesting topic!

--Dave

 

[CajunCenturion]

Yes, it is a quite interesting topic. However, we should keep in mind that as a word evolves, it may take on an entirely new meaning.

To say that a word today means x because its Old English or Latin root word meant x is to ignore the evolution of language. Mister and master today may have the same root word and root definition, but today, they are not the same word, nor do they have the same set of definitions. They have evolved.

The study of etymology is indeed quite interesting, and it is fun to see how words have changed, both in spelling and in meaning, over the years.

Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein