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-trix

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Trix

English

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Etymology

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From numerous Latinate feminine agent nouns.

Pronunciation

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Suffix

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-trix f (plural -trices or -trixes)

  1. (dated, plural usually -trices) Found on the end of words, chiefly female agent nouns.
  2. (BDSM, plural usually -trixes) Forms nouns defining women who engage in specific forms of sexual dominance (by analogy with dominatrix)

Usage notes

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  • For masculine agent nouns ending in -tor, the feminine equivalent ending in -trix is the etymologically consistent form. However, -trix is relatively dated and not particularly productive in modern English, where either gender-neutral terms or other suffixes (notably -ess) are generally preferred, as in actress rather than dated actrix.

Synonyms

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Other feminine affixes:

Derived terms

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  • Most of these derived terms were borrowed directly from Latin, rather than formed in English.

Latin

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Etymology

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From Proto-Italic *-trīks, from Proto-Indo-European *-trih₂, from *-tḗr. Cognate with the Sanskrit suffix -त्री (-trī) as in जनित्री (janitrī, mother); compare genetrīx.

The origin of the medial -c- is unknown. Compare Proto-Slavic *-ica with the same element, and also with secondary thematicization.

Pronunciation

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Suffix

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-trīx f (genitive -trīcis); third declension

  1. -ess, -ress, -trix; attached to verb stems to form feminine agent nouns
  2. (often poetic or derogatory) Attached to verb stems to form feminine adjectives, often with a poetic quality and/or a negative connotation

Usage notes

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The suffix -trīx is added to a verb to create a third-declension feminine form of an agent noun.

Examples:
cantrīx (female singer); feminine counterpart of cantor (male singer), from canō (I sing)
tōnstrīx (female hair cutter); feminine counterpart of tōnsor (male hair cutter), from tondeō (I shear, shave)
meretrīx (prostitute", lit. "she who earns), from mereō (I merit, deserve, earn)

Declension

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Third-declension noun.

singular plural
nominative -trīx -trīcēs
genitive -trīcis -trīcum
dative -trīcī -trīcibus
accusative -trīcem -trīcēs
ablative -trīce -trīcibus
vocative -trīx -trīcēs

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Catalan: -triu
  • English: -trix, -tress, -ess (partially)
  • French: -trice
  • Italian: -trice
  • Portuguese: -triz
  • Sicilian: -trici
  • Spanish: -triz