Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Maiden, in my words

femire : maiden

The Illunse word for maiden is femire. Femire is a rare last name.

This word is a mixture of the Old English word for maiden which is fǽmne (maid, virgin, bride) which I transliterate to faemne, and the Latin word for maiden which is virgo (maiden, young woman, girl of marriageable age; virgin).

Nowadays we don't tend to speak of maidens, except in poetry and Shakespearian plays. But Old English and Latin, which are antiquated languages, most definitely differentiate between women and maidens.

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