adulteress
Meaning
a woman who commits adultery.
Structure
Usage
in the victorian novel, the character was shunned by society after being labeled an adulteress.
the law at the time treated an adulteress more harshly than her male counterpart.
she felt the term 'adulteress' was a loaded and judgmental label.
Etymology
the word 'adulteress' is formed by adding the feminine suffix '-ess' to the root 'adulter,' which is derived from the latin verb 'adulterare.' this latin verb originally meant 'to corrupt' or 'to defile,' and its connection to sexual infidelity stems from the idea of corrupting a marriage bed. the suffix '-ess' has a long lineage, entering english via old french from latin and ultimately greek, specializing in denoting female agents. thus, the term's literal construction follows the pattern of specifying a female agent (ess) of the act of adultery (adulter).
Analysis
- adulter: from latin adulter (an adulterer, adulterous), from adulterare (to corrupt, to commit adultery). functions as the core root denoting the concept of adultery. - ess: from old french -esse, from late latin -issa, from greek -ισσα (-issa). functions as a suffix forming nouns denoting a female person associated with the root.