A female advocate; a woman who speaks in favor of or argues for a cause, person, or idea.
From advocate + -ess (feminine suffix). Advocate comes from Latin advocatus (called to aid), from ad- (to) + vocare (to call). The -ess suffix was added to create a feminine form, though this usage is now archaic.
This word shows how English used to add -ess to nearly every occupation to mark women (actress, waitress, stewardess), but we've mostly abandoned this practice because it implied women were a special category rather than simply doing the job.
Feminine form suffix '-ess' applied to 'advocate' reflects historical exclusion of women from legal and formal advocacy roles. The need for gendered terms itself marks women as exceptional in professions.
Use 'advocate' for all genders. If historical context requires, specify 'women advocates' rather than feminized noun forms.
["advocate","legal advocate"]
Women advocates fought for recognition despite language that marked them as 'other'—Bella Abzug, Constance Baker Motley, and countless unnamed women built modern advocacy law.
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