Know your English
What is the opposite of ``feminist''?
Most people that I asked this question to, said that the opposite is ``chauvinist''. While surfing the Net, I came across a word which has been part of the English language for nearly a century. The word is ``hominist''. A ``hominist'' is someone who advocates equal rights for men. The ``o'' in the first syllable is like the ``o'' in ``hot'', ``pot'', and ``got'', and the ``i'' in the following two syllables is like the ``i'' in ``bit'', ``hit'', and ``sit''. The main stress is on the first syllable.
*After meeting several feminists, Satish decided to become a hominist.
*Narayan, the General Manager, is a vocal hominist.
*His students say that Bala is a self proclaimed hominist.
The word, I understand, was coined by G. B. Shaw in the preface to his play ``Man and Superman''. While all dictionaries include the word ``feminist'', very few include ``hominist''. Wonder why! (By the way, what do you think is the opposite of ``feminist''? Please do write in.)
Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, February 06, 2001
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