muliebrity

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mel-“soft; tender; weak”
2. Latin · derived frommuliebris“feminine, womanly”
3. Late Latin · derived frommuliebritās“womanhood; womanliness”
4. English todaymuliebrity

From Late Latin muliebritās (“womanhood; womanliness”), from Latin muliebris (“feminine, womanly”) + -tās (suffix forming nouns indicating a state of being); or from muliēbris + -ity; compare Middle French muliebrité. Muliēbris is derived from mulier (“woman; wife”) (from mollior (“softer; milder; weaker”), comparative form of mollis (“soft; mild, tender; weak”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“soft; tender; weak”)) + -brīs (noun suffix denoting a person).

Words from the same roots