Coexecutrix

/ˌkoʊɪɡˈzɛkjətrɪks/ noun

Definition

A female executor who shares the responsibility of administering an estate or carrying out a will with one or more other executors.

Etymology

Formed from 'co-' plus 'executrix,' the feminine form of executor, which comes from Latin 'executor' (one who carries out). The feminine form '-trix' is a Latin suffix used for female agents in legal and formal contexts.

Kelly Says

The word coexecutrix is disappearing from modern legal documents because lawyers now use the gender-neutral 'coexecutor' for everyone, but you'll still find it in old wills and legal history—it's a relic of when language insisted on marking a person's gender in their job title.

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Latin feminine form of executor. Gendered noun embedded in legal systems: male 'executor' was default, female 'executrix' was marked exception, linguistically encoding assumption that fiduciary roles belonged to men.

Inclusive Usage

Use 'coexecutor' uniformly for all individuals. If citing historical legal documents with 'executrix', preserve in quote but use modern 'executor' in commentary.

Inclusive Alternatives

["coexecutor"]

Empowerment Note

Women served as executors and trustees throughout history but were systematically marked as grammatical outliers. Gender-neutral terminology restores them to the default category of competent fiduciaries.

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