"That's a great deal to make one word mean," Alice said in a thoughtful tone. "When I make a word do a lot of work like that," said Humpty Dumpty, "I always pay it extra."
Showing posts with label Xanthippe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xanthippe. Show all posts

Friday, 17 July 2009

Xanthippe and muliebrity

 
Today we have two words for the price of one... a sort of BOGOF.

A Xanthippe was an archaic term for a shrewish, bad-tempered, scolding woman. It is derived from Xanthippe who was the wife of Socrates and mother of their three sons and who had a reputation as a harridan.

Muliebrity, a rarely found word that deserves greater usage, means femininity; the trait of behaving in ways considered typical for women; specifically relating to the characteristic of feminine softness that is entailed by the traditional view of feminine form; the opposite of virility.

Obviously a Xanthippe was not noted for her muliebrity.