| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| father | mother |
| husband | wife |
| uncle | aunt |
| king | queen |
| monk | nun |
| wizard | witch |
| lord | lady |
| horse | mare |
| gander | goose |
| drake | duck |
| cock | hen |
| ram | ewe |
| bull | cow |
| hart | hind |
| buck | doe |
| fox | vixen[10] |
2. Some masculine nouns become feminine by the addition of an ending.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| heir | heiress |
| baron | baroness |
| lion | lioness |
| prince | princess |
| emperor | empress |
| tiger | tigress |
| executor | executrix |
| administrator | administratrix |
| hero | heroine |
| Joseph | Josephine |
| sultan | sultana |
| Philip | Philippa |
Note. The feminine gender is often indicated by the ending ess. Frequently the corresponding masculine form ends in or or er: as,—actor, actress; governor, governess; waiter, waitress. The ending ess is not so common as formerly. Usage favors proprietor, author, editor, etc., even for the feminine (rather than the harsher forms proprietress, authoress, editress), whenever there is no special reason for emphasizing the difference of sex.
3. A few feminine words become masculine by the addition of an ending. Thus,—widow, widower; bride, bridegroom.
4. Gender is sometimes indicated by the ending man, woman, maid, boy, or girl.
Examples:
- salesman, saleswoman;
- foreman, forewoman;
- laundryman;
- milkmaid;
- cash boy, cash girl.
5. A noun or a pronoun is sometimes prefixed to a noun to indicate gender.
Examples: