That fell upon a scheme,
To send a lad to London town
To bring them tidings hame.
Burns.
Carlin means an old woman: Icelandic, kerling; Sw., käring; Dan. kælling. Root, carl.
Vixen is a true feminine derivative from fox. German, füchsinn.
Bruin=the bear, may be either a female form, as in Old High German përo=a he-bear, pirinn=a she-bear, or it may be the Norse form björn=a bear, male or female.
Words like margravine and landgravine prove nothing, being scarcely naturalised.
5. The termination -str, as in webster, songster, and baxter, was originally a feminine affix. Thus, in Anglo-Saxon,
| Sangere, a male singer |
| were opposed to |
| Sangëstre, a female singer. |
| Bäcere, a male baker | Bacestre, a female baker. | |||
| Fiðelere, a male fiddler | Fiðelstre, a female fiddler. | |||
| Vebbere, a male weaver | Vëbbëstre, a female weaver. | |||
| Rædere, a male reader | Rædestre, a female reader. | |||
| Seamere, a male seamer | Seamestre, a female seamer. |
