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In English there are no masculine or feminine forms. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female.

The noun 'spinster' is a gender specific noun for a female; a word for a woman who is past a child bearing age but has never married.

The term stems from an era when most females were not educated and if not married became a dependent in the household of a family member. One of the jobs frequently assigned to an adult dependent family member (everyone had to earn their keep) was spinning wool and thread, literally the family spinster.

This may lead you to believe that the opposite of spinster would be bachelor, a male who has never married. That is not correct because an unmarried man of any age is not past an age for (the expectation of) siring children. Due to the gender disparity for most of society at the time the word 'spinster' was commonly used, no corresponding noun for a male was used.

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Related Questions

What is masculine gender of spinster?

The masculine equivalent of spinster is bachelor.


Feminine gender of heir?

In English there are no masculine or feminine forms. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female.The noun heir is a common gender noun as a word for a person who inherits.The noun heir is also a gender specific noun for a male.The corresponding gender specific noun for a female is heiress.


what is a masculine heir?

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What is the masculine of a heiress?

In English there are no masculine or feminine forms. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female.The noun for a female is heiress.The noun for a male is heir.


What is the opposite gender for heiress?

the female is an heiress


What is the masculine term for spinster?

Soinster is a strictly feminine term indicating an unmarried woman (with negative connotations). An unmarried man is a bachelor, a term with no negative connotations.


Is the heir a masculine noun or a common noun?

In English there are no masculine or feminine forms. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female; for example:The noun heir is used for a male or a female; the noun heiress is used for a female only.The nouns heir and heiress are both common nouns.


What is the masculine equivalent of a heiress what is the Masculine form of spinster?

In English there are no masculine or feminine forms. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female.The noun heir is a common gender noun for a person who inherits.The noun heir is also a gender specific noun for a male.The corresponding gender specific noun for a female is heiress.The noun 'spinster' is a gender specific noun for a female, a word for a woman who is past a child bearing age but has never married.The noun 'bachelor' is the noun used for an unmarried, adult male, however, at the time the word 'spinster' was commonly used, no corresponding noun for a male was used because an unmarried man of any age is not past an age for (the expectation of) siring children.In modern times, the noun 'bachelorette' has come into use as a word for an unmarried, adult female.


Is girl masculine gender of spinster?

No, in English there are no masculine or feminine forms. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female.The noun 'girl' is a gender specific noun for a young, female, person.The corresponding gender specific noun for a young, male person is 'boy'.The noun 'spinster' is a gender specific noun for a womanwho is past a child bearing age but has never married.The term stems from an era when most females were not educated and if not married became a dependent in the household of a family member. One of the jobs frequently assigned to an adult, dependent family member (everyone had to earn their keep) was spinning wool and thread, literally the family spinster.


What is the feminine and masculine of an bachelor?

The informal term for a female bachelor is bachelorette.(An earlier term was "spinster" which is seldom used today.)


What is the masculine equivalent of a spinster?

In English there are no masculine or feminine forms. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female.Originally, the noun 'spinster' was a word for a young unmarried women (since it was they who usually spun thread into yarn), and eventually applied to unmarried women who were past the usual age to marry. Today the word 'spinster' is considered a negative term.Since the roles of males and females were not equivalent, gender nouns for males or females may not be equivalent. For example, the closest noun for a male who has never married is 'bachelor', but a bachelor can be a man of any age.Today the preferred nouns for people who have never married are bachelor for a man, bachelorette for a woman.Language changes with the needs of society.


What is the feminine of spinster?

In English there are no masculine or feminine forms. English uses gender specific nouns for male or female.The noun 'spinster' is an obsolete word for a female who has never married. The noun 'spinster' is a gender specific noun for a female.The noun 'spinster' is a gender specific noun for a female who is past a child bearing age but has never married.The noun 'bachelor' is the noun used for an unmarried, adult male of any age, however, at the time the word 'spinster' was commonly used, no corresponding noun for a male was used because an unmarried man of any age is not past an age for (the expectation of) siring children.