Hatress

/ˈheɪtrəs/ noun

Definition

A female person who hates; a woman who expresses intense dislike or hostility.

Etymology

From 'hatred' plus the feminine suffix '-ess', following the pattern of words like 'actress' and 'huntress'. This word emerged in English to create gendered versions of agent nouns, though it's rarely used in modern English.

Kelly Says

The '-ess' suffix for female versions is dying out in modern English—we now say 'actor' for everyone, but 'hatress' shows how older English tried to mark every occupation and quality by gender, even emotional states!

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