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-trix

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

See also: Trix

English

Etymology

From numerous Latinate feminine agent nouns.

Pronunciation

Suffix

-trix f (plural -trices or -trixes)

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

Usage notes

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

Other feminine affixes:

Derived terms

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

Latin

Etymology

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

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /triːks/, [t̪riːks̠]

(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /triks/, [t̪riks]

Suffix

-trīx f (genitive -trīcis); third declension

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

Usage notes

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

Third-declension noun.

More information singular, plural ...

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

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Derived terms

Latin terms suffixed with -trix

procrastinatrix

Related terms

-tor

Descendants

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

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