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This week is all about sex. We're going to explore the differences between womenkind and mankind etymologically, not anatomically [but it's still going to be fun].
Today's AWAD is "matriarch": Pls scroll down. The AWAD for Day 1 is:matrocliny (MA-truh-kli-nee) noun, also matricliny
Inheritance of traits primarily from the mother.
[From Latin matro- (mother) + -clino, from Greek klinein (to lean).]
Patrocliny is the male counterpart of this term.Anu must have noticed that some of us are falling behind in our homework. So he's given us a Weekly Theme no-one can resist: sexThat's Anu. Just when you think his pitching arm is getting used up with fastballs and curves, he throws you a change-up. Everyone swings at a change-up. But I need to say something right off the bat. The dictionaries have the spelling of "matrocliny" all wrong. It should be "matroclinxx". And "patrocliny" should be "patroclinxy", 'cause women have two XX chromosomes and men have an X and a Y. Actually, it's OK to spell "patrocliny" just the way it is because you can't be a man without a Y chromosome. * So you can take the X in "partrocliny" for granted. Some women think they are being taken for granted, but I'm going to leave that one on the mound. Anu explains: The world of the English language is becoming genderless. ... new gender-neutral alternatives are coined: mail-carrier, firefighter, chairperson (or chair), to cite but three examples.
It's easy to brush these off as a display of political correctness but there's a reason why we're moving away from those old terms. Often the feminine equivalents of the terms have inferior connotations: imitation (leather/leatherette), small size (statue/statuette), lesser social status (governor/governess), and at times the two terms are poles apart (wizard/witch) - wizard is a compliment while witch is disparaging.
Why is it important to recognize this? It's because while our language is a reflection of our society, the reverse is also true. Our society is also shaped by the language. ...
All this is not to say that men and women are not different. They are, but where that difference is irrelevant, there is no reason to use two different terms to describe them.* Sex Chromosomes and the Determination of Sex"It is clear that the presence of a Y chromosome is necessary for male sexual characteristics to develop. The number of X chromosomes present does not play a significant role in sex determination." http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rjh9u/sexdet.htmlMatroclinous inheritance Inheritance in which all offspring have the phenotype of the mother.phenotypeEncyclopędia Britannica Article all the observable characteristics of an organism, such as shape, size, colour, and behaviour, that result from the interaction of its genotype (total genetic inheritance) with the environment. The common type of a group of physically similar organisms is sometimes also known as the phenotype.http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9059622&query=phenotype&ct=
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In reply to:
The world of the English language is becoming genderless. ... new gender-neutral alternatives are coined: mail-carrier, firefighter, chairperson (or chair), to cite but three examples.
It's easy to brush these off as a display of political correctness but there's a reason why we're moving away from those old terms. Often the feminine equivalents of the terms have inferior connotations: imitation (leather/leatherette), small size (statue/statuette), lesser social status (governor/governess), and at times the two terms are poles apart (wizard/witch) - wizard is a compliment while witch is disparaging.
Why is it important to recognize this? It's because while our language is a reflection of our society, the reverse is also true. Our society is also shaped by the language. ...
All this is not to say that men and women are not different. They are, but where that difference is irrelevant, there is no reason to use two different terms to describe them.
The problem, Anu, is that intercourse between the sexes is never irrelevant. Sexual differences in biology and mind are absolutely innate in our species and can not be changed lingually without a corresponding detrimental effect to our continuance.
We who know and love words should know best that words contrived for the purpose of an illusion of equality will fail.
Words are not made by wordsmiths they are made by men.
Men and women are not equal, women are better, and it is best that we reflect that fact in our language by designations of gender.
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Men and women are not equal, women are better, and it is best that we reflect that fact in our language
Women outlive men, themilum. Isn't that proof enough of their superiority? And when women run things, most of the wars are bloodless. That's a good thing. It's called a matriarchy.
A lot of men think they are wearing the patriarchy in the family. But a lot of women know better.
Legend says "What's good for the goose is good for the gander". You can tell a man wrote that. Otherwise it would read: "What's good for the gander is good for the goose."
And who ever heard a man say "Your gander is cooked."
A gander can take a gander at another goose, but if a goose takes a gander at another gander, her goose is cooked. Well, at least, that's the way it used to be.
And why is it when someone sticks their finger in someone's else's behind they aren't gandering them?
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Partly true, Plutarch, but take note that through the bodies of women comes forth the future. (listen here, those of you who understand Evolution). So it follows that all the bluffs, contrivances, and seemingly unseemly wars of menkind, must be subordinate to that single absolute. How could it be otherwise? 
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all the bluffs, contrivances, and seemingly unseemly wars of menkind, must be subordinate to that single absolute.
Muliebrity used to be subordinate, themilum. Now, as often as not, muliebrity's on top.
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Today's AWAD is:
muliebrity (myoo-lee-EB-ri-tee) noun
Womanly qualities; womanhood; femininity.
[From Latin muliebritas (womanhood), from muliebris (womanly), from mulier (woman).]
Virility is the masculine equivalent of the term.
It's never a good idea to take liberties with a lady's muliebrities, themilum, unless she's in the mood. [But how are you going to know if you don't try? :) ]
I figured our sex talk would be strictly etymological this week. I really did. Honest. But I figured wrong.
You can't talk about virility nowadays without getting anatomical. It's a vertical certainty.
Now, please ladies, don't blush. Everyone's heard about Viagra. They advertise it everywhere. Even your kids know about it. But they don't giggle about it. They just shake their heads in bewilderment. They can't figure out why their parents would want to have sex in the first place. At least with each other.
In our day, it was a man's job to get the lady into the mood, themilum. Now a man has to go to the drugstore to get into the mood. And a lot of ladies are in no hurry for him to get back.
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Women outlive men, themilum. Isn't that proof enough of their superiority?
from Dr. Bill [wwh]:
Your data on women outliving men are old enough to be fudged by fact few women used to smoke or get high blood pressure. Now so many women smoke and enough men have quit, that God only knows what the true difference is.
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Today's AWAD is:
misandry (MIS-an-dree) noun
Hatred of men.
[From mis-, from miso- (hate) + -andry (male).]
The feminine counterpart of this term is misogyny, and hatred of humankind is known as misanthropy.
Not sure what I can say about "misandry", other than the fact that it makes me feel miserable just thinking about it.
Let's face it. Men are inferior. If you're a man, I think the safest thing you can do is follow themilum's example. Come right out and admit it.
We just got over Valentine's Day. We should have a Misanthropy Day so we could get over that too. But I don't think it will happen any time soon. Some folks are in love with hate. That goes for misogynists too.
It's a good thing you can't get a tax deduction for misanthropy. Some spouses have it bad enough as it is.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Muliebrity.
It is a great thing now to have, if not exactly an antonym, at least counterpart to virility.
I wonder what is the proper term for such terms. We can agree that love and hate are antonyms; energetic and listless are antonyms. But 'boy' isn't really an opposite, is it, of 'girl.' Yet they are biologically different. Same goes for application of virility and muliebrity. I wonder whether there is a term to show these counterpoised relationships in things that are in different classes, yet not exactly antonyms?
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'boy' isn't really an opposite, is it, of 'girl.' Yet they are biologically different Don't know what the word is Wordwind*, but this dichotomy ["muliebrity" - "virlility"] begs the question: Do opposites really attract? Opposite qualities may connect people, but that isn't what keeps them connected, apparently: Opposites may attract, but it is their personalities that matterThe Scotsman, February 15, 2005 Extract: Researchers from the University of Iowa looked at 291 couples who had taken part in a marriage study less than a year after tying the knot.
All were assessed on a wide range of personality characteristics, attitudes and relationship quality indicators.
There was no evidence that personalities of a feather flocked together - and nothing to show that opposites attract.
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... once people are in a committed relationship, it is primarily personality similarity that influences marital happiness, because being in a committed relationship entails regular interaction and requires extensive co-ordination in dealing with the tasks, issues and problems of daily living."http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=172682005* Maybe it's a pairadox. Who can figure out how men and women fit together anyway? Who was it who finally gave up on the whole effort saying "Women, can't live with them, can't live without them." * :) * It was the philosopher Desiderius Erasmus, 1466 - 1536, who also said: The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war.http://snipurl.com/ctuk
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Today's AWAD is:sororal (suh-ROR-uhl) adjective
Of or pertaining to a sister; sisterly.
[From Latin soror (sister). Ultimately from Indo-European root swesor- (sister) that is also the source of words cousin and sister, and words for sister in other languages such as French soeur, German Schwester, and Dutch zuster.]
Fraternal is the male equivalent of this term.The fastest way to become sororal if you're a girl without a sister is to join a sorority. Here's a list of choices: http://greekpages.com/org/
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It's never a good idea to take liberties with a lady's muliebrities, themilum, unless she's in the mood. It's never a good idea to quote oneself either, but at least I'm safe from prying eyes in this thread. Just kidding. Actually, I'm quoting myself for a good reason. I want to get us back in the mood. Candlelight and wine. Does that set the stage for romance? And for such an occasion, only the most seductive fruit of the vine will do. Mais oui, mon petite, couchez-vous? Eric Asivmov, writing in the New York Times, "Poetry and Attitude, Pinot Noir's Paradox", has the perfect selection for our amorous reflection: No other wine conjures up poetic descriptions like pinot noir; no other wine forges as direct a path to the soul. If a wine could make a person cry, it would have to be a pinot noir. A wine like this is bound to have a pretty big mystique, and pinot noir wears its like a rap star wears gold. It's a femme fatale. It's a temperamental artist. It's very sensitive.*I suspect themilum has a bottle of Pinot Noir tucked away somewhere for special occasions. So I'm dedicating this limerick to themilum. Let's have a toast to Pinot NoirIt's more than a wine, it's a choir Of aromas and flavors Every connoisseur savors. It's the elixir avant the boudoir. * http://snipurl.com/cuy9Here's hoping themilum makes Prize Two a Pinot Noir this week. :)
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from Dr. Bill [wwh]:
boudoir
1777, "room where a lady may retire to be alone," from Fr., lit. "pouting room," from bouder "to pout, sulk," which, like pout, is probably of imitative origin.
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Today's AWAD is:
matriarch (MAY-tree-ark) noun
1. A woman who is the head of a family.
2. A woman who is the founder or leader of a group or community.
3. A venerable old woman.
[From Latin matri- (mother) + Greek -arch (leader, ruler).]
Patriarch is the masculine form of this word.
Matriarch resembles "monarch". So does a matriarch. She doesn't wear a crown but she wears the pants in the family. If you've got a problem with that, talk to dad about it. He's the one wearing the dressing down.
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