Adscriptitious

/ˌædsˈkrɪpˈtɪʃəs/ adjective

Definition

Pertaining to or characterized by adscription; relating to binding or attachment by law or custom.

Etymology

From Latin 'adscriptitius,' derived from 'adscriptus' with the added suffix '-itius.' This variant form appears in historical and legal English texts.

Kelly Says

Notice how Latin could stack suffixes—'adscript' became 'adscriptitious,' which is just a fancier way of saying the same thing, showing how redundancy crept into English legal language and made documents even harder to read.

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Adjective form of adscript, carrying the same feudal gender blindness: systems of bound labor were gendered but legal/historical language concealed women's specific subjection.

Inclusive Usage

Use with explicit gender analysis when discussing adscriptitious systems; name how control over women's bodies and reproduction was core to adscriptitious feudalism.

Inclusive Alternatives

["relating to bound labor (gendered)","feudal (with gender specificity)"]

Empowerment Note

Recovering women's agency within and resistance to adscriptitious regimes is an ongoing project in feminist medieval history.

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