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Man was the original gender-neutral word while wereman and woman referred to the sexes. Were-wolf was a literal combination of the words male-human + wolf. htt

Man was the original gender-neutral word while wereman and woman referred to the sexes. Were-wolf was a literal combination of the words male-human + wolf. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Were https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Were

colanderman 6y ago
And "woman" in turn came from "wifman" (as did "wife") [1]. I have seen it argued that therefore a female "were"wolf is properly termed a "wifwolf". [1] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/woman#Etymology https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/woman#Etymology
- Proven 6y ago
  And then "wife" became "waifu"
Blikkentrekker 6y ago
The existence of the supposed Old English word “*wermann” is hypothetical; I often see an argument of symmetry made, but the word is not ever attested as far as I know. It does not exist in any dictionary or corpus search I tried; and I've seen multiple others say that they see modern speech of it, but cannot find it in a single actual O.E. text. The word for male human was “wer”, for female human was “wīf”, and while “wīfmann” and “wīfcild” are attested, “*wermann” and “*wercild” remain hypothetical and are unattested. Perhaps the word existed, and it would no doubt be understandable to any speaker of Old English, but it did not show up in any text, nor did any of it's descendants survive into modern English. There is a general trend in languages for female terms to display markedness, consider that there is no term for a specifically male actor in modern English either, though in some contexts male terms display it, such as the coinage of the word “murse” to refer to a specifically male nurse. Neutrality of words in actual use is not so simple, in any case, though it is true that the word could clearly be used to describe human beings regardless of sex, as it still sees use today: > God ġesċōp æt fruman twēġen menn, wer and wīf. > God created at the beginning, two men, a male, and a female. Usage of “mann” in O.E. to identify a single, singular female man was quite rare, as it still is today, outside of compounds such as “crewman”, but some attestations do exist, similar to the Latin “homō”, for which it was similarly rare and other words were typically used. One may be left to conclude that, though it was theoretically possible, it was stylistically not common, similar to how, perhaps, the word “actor” was used a century back where “actress” was quite often used for a female actor, al the while acknowledging that “an actor”, hypothetically speaking, could be any sex, and “actors” could easily be used for a mixed-sex group.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- Aengeuad 6y ago
  Werman might be barking up the wrong tree but you do get wapman (literally penis man, same root as weapon) showing up alongside wifmann. That says nothing about how common it was or whether it was the preferred form over man, but it's something. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/229884 https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/229884 (woman): OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xix. 4 Quia qui fecit ab initio masculum et feminam fecit eos : forðon seðe worohte from fruma woepenmonn & wifmonn geworhte hia. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/225576 https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/225576 (wapman): 1123 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud. MS.) Forbearn eall meast se burh of Lincolne & micel ungerime folces wæpmen & wimmen forburnon.
  - Blikkentrekker 6y ago
    > Werman might be barking up the wrong tree but you do get wapman (literally penis man, same root as weapon) showing up alongside wifmann. That says nothing about how common it was or whether it was the preferred form over man, but it's something. I'm sure you are referring to “wæpnedmann”[1] here, which is quite a different word, and did survive as “weaponed man”, which does exist but it's number of attestations are low. The common words to refer to males and female humans simply seem to be “wer” and “wīf”; “wīf” is quite a bit more common than “wīfmann”, even during the middle English period. Your links are not accessible, by the way. [1]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/w%C3%A6pnedmann https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/w%C3%A6pnedmann
    - Aengeuad 6y ago
      Sorry about the links, if you have a library card from England, Scotland, or Wales your library most likely subscribes and you should be able to login using your library card number, outside of those countries there's a chance your library subscribes and you may be able to login but probably not. I did try to find an entry on Wiktionary but couldn't find one, although this time I found an entry on another dictionary that does appear to be accessible: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED52231 https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dicti... The quotations on the OED are in a similar Middle English time period from 950 to 1325, and the forms the OED lists are as follows: Forms: Old English–Middle English wǽpman, wǽpnman, wǽpen-, wépenmon, Middle English wepman, ( Orm. weppmann), weopmonne, wepmon(ne, wapmon, wapman. Etymology: Old English wǽpnman , < wǽpn weapon n. (= membrum virile ) + man man n.1 Compare Old English wǽpned adjective, male. So it likely comes from 'wæpnedmann' but I couldn't find anything explicitly for that (or variations on spelling), maybe OE is a little too old for the OED or as you say maybe it just isn't that well attested, the closest I could find was the following: OE tr. Alexander's Let. to Aristotle (1995) §29. 242 Ða gesawe we þær ruge wifmen, & wæpned men wæron hie swa ruwe & swa gehære swa wildeor [L. pilosos in modo ferarum toto corpore].
jgwil2 6y ago
In modern German the particle man is a general or unspecified subject, like English one or French on.
- mrslave 6y ago
  Is he a dot, or is he a speck? When he's underwater does he get wet? Or does the water get him instead? Nobody knows, Particle Man
  - officialjunk 6y ago
    wow i forgot about this song. bringing back memories.
  - canadianfella 6y ago
    Sometimes he is a wave. Depends how you interact with him.

colanderman 6y ago

And "woman" in turn came from "wifman" (as did "wife") [1]. I have seen it argued that therefore a female "were"wolf is properly termed a "wifwolf". [1] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/woman#Etymology https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/woman#Etymology

Proven 6y ago
And then "wife" became "waifu"

Blikkentrekker 6y ago

The existence of the supposed Old English word “*wermann” is hypothetical; I often see an argument of symmetry made, but the word is not ever attested as far as I know. It does not exist in any dictionary or corpus search I tried; and I've seen multiple others say that they see modern speech of it, but cannot find it in a single actual O.E. text. The word for male human was “wer”, for female human was “wīf”, and while “wīfmann” and “wīfcild” are attested, “*wermann” and “*wercild” remain hypothetical and are unattested. Perhaps the word existed, and it would no doubt be understandable to any speaker of Old English, but it did not show up in any text, nor did any of it's descendants survive into modern English. There is a general trend in languages for female terms to display markedness, consider that there is no term for a specifically male actor in modern English either, though in some contexts male terms display it, such as the coinage of the word “murse” to refer to a specifically male nurse. Neutrality of words in actual use is not so simple, in any case, though it is true that the word could clearly be used to describe human beings regardless of sex, as it still sees use today: > God ġesċōp æt fruman twēġen menn, wer and wīf. > God created at the beginning, two men, a male, and a female. Usage of “mann” in O.E. to identify a single, singular female man was quite rare, as it still is today, outside of compounds such as “crewman”, but some attestations do exist, similar to the Latin “homō”, for which it was similarly rare and other words were typically used. One may be left to conclude that, though it was theoretically possible, it was stylistically not common, similar to how, perhaps, the word “actor” was used a century back where “actress” was quite often used for a female actor, al the while acknowledging that “an actor”, hypothetically speaking, could be any sex, and “actors” could easily be used for a mixed-sex group.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
Aengeuad 6y ago
Werman might be barking up the wrong tree but you do get wapman (literally penis man, same root as weapon) showing up alongside wifmann. That says nothing about how common it was or whether it was the preferred form over man, but it's something. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/229884 https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/229884 (woman): OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xix. 4 Quia qui fecit ab initio masculum et feminam fecit eos : forðon seðe worohte from fruma woepenmonn & wifmonn geworhte hia. https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/225576 https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/225576 (wapman): 1123 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud. MS.) Forbearn eall meast se burh of Lincolne & micel ungerime folces wæpmen & wimmen forburnon.
- Blikkentrekker 6y ago
  > Werman might be barking up the wrong tree but you do get wapman (literally penis man, same root as weapon) showing up alongside wifmann. That says nothing about how common it was or whether it was the preferred form over man, but it's something. I'm sure you are referring to “wæpnedmann”[1] here, which is quite a different word, and did survive as “weaponed man”, which does exist but it's number of attestations are low. The common words to refer to males and female humans simply seem to be “wer” and “wīf”; “wīf” is quite a bit more common than “wīfmann”, even during the middle English period. Your links are not accessible, by the way. [1]: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/w%C3%A6pnedmann https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/w%C3%A6pnedmann
  - Aengeuad 6y ago
    Sorry about the links, if you have a library card from England, Scotland, or Wales your library most likely subscribes and you should be able to login using your library card number, outside of those countries there's a chance your library subscribes and you may be able to login but probably not. I did try to find an entry on Wiktionary but couldn't find one, although this time I found an entry on another dictionary that does appear to be accessible: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED52231 https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dicti... The quotations on the OED are in a similar Middle English time period from 950 to 1325, and the forms the OED lists are as follows: Forms: Old English–Middle English wǽpman, wǽpnman, wǽpen-, wépenmon, Middle English wepman, ( Orm. weppmann), weopmonne, wepmon(ne, wapmon, wapman. Etymology: Old English wǽpnman , < wǽpn weapon n. (= membrum virile ) + man man n.1 Compare Old English wǽpned adjective, male. So it likely comes from 'wæpnedmann' but I couldn't find anything explicitly for that (or variations on spelling), maybe OE is a little too old for the OED or as you say maybe it just isn't that well attested, the closest I could find was the following: OE tr. Alexander's Let. to Aristotle (1995) §29. 242 Ða gesawe we þær ruge wifmen, & wæpned men wæron hie swa ruwe & swa gehære swa wildeor [L. pilosos in modo ferarum toto corpore].

jgwil2 6y ago

In modern German the particle man is a general or unspecified subject, like English one or French on.

mrslave 6y ago
Is he a dot, or is he a speck? When he's underwater does he get wet? Or does the water get him instead? Nobody knows, Particle Man
- officialjunk 6y ago
  wow i forgot about this song. bringing back memories.
- canadianfella 6y ago
  Sometimes he is a wave. Depends how you interact with him.