-enne
1
a personal noun suffix occurring in loanwords from French, where it forms feminine nouns corresponding to masculine nouns ending in -en (comedienne, doyenne); on this model, of very limited productivity in English, forming distinctively feminine nouns from words ending in -an: equestrienne.
Usage note
The few English words that end in -enne, indicating the feminine counterpart of a traditionally masculine term ending in -en or -an, usually carry little implication of inferiority. Many women, however, prefer that no distinction be made and that, as with other gender-specific words, the terms once reserved for males be applied to males and females alike. English is quite inconsistent in adopting such feminine nouns. Equestrian has the form equestrienne; pedestrian has no corresponding feminine term. Although we have both comedienne and tragedienne, there is no feminine variant for thespian. See also -ess, -ette, -trix.
Related Words
- comedienne
- equestrienne
- doyenne
- Parisienne
- tragedienne
后缀：-enne [名词后缀]
表示女性
comedienne 女喜剧演员
tragedienne 女悲剧演员
equestrienne 女骑手，女马术师