Epicene Nouns

Content

• Examples of epicene nouns

A epicene noun It is that noun that can be masculine or feminine and serves to designate both sexes, regardless of the grammatical gender of the noun. For example: sea, brood, your honor.

Difference from the common name

It is called "common name" to the nouns that allow to change the article according to the sentence refers to a person or thing in masculine or feminine. These nouns remain unchanged no matter what gender they are referring to. For example: the baby / the baby, the student / the student, the model / the model, the young person / the young person, the policeman / the police, the witness / the witness.

Epicene nouns, on the other hand, do not allow this variation in the article. For example: the word owl is written with the article the (the owl and no the owl).

Epicene nouns often need the clarification of another word so that it is understood whether it is a feminine or masculine word. For example: male partridge / female partridge.

• See also: Ambiguous nouns

Examples of epicene nouns

1. The Eagle. The male eagle was flying over the mountains
2. The owl. The female owl is always larger than the male.
3. The gorilla. The female gorilla cared for her calf tirelessly.
4. Character. The character was starred by the famous Mexican actress.
5. The rhinoceros. The gray rhino is more aggressive than the white. In this example we cannot determine if it is a male or a female, although given the context of the word it refers to the term rhinoceros as a species.
6. The stem. New and beautiful shoots emerged from the plant.
7. The agent. The business agent signed the contract.
8. The lover. The woman's lover was discovered.
9. The artist. The plastic artist "José Vázquez" was invited to the gala event.
10. The attacker. The attacker was a 45-year-old woman who was intoxicated.
11. The athlete. The Russian athlete, a 25-year-old man, won the Olympics with a gold medal.
12. The ostrich. The ostrich is a bird that lays 60 eggs per year.
13. Assistant. The kitchen assistant, named Luciana, broke his arm last Friday.
14. The chancellor. Foreign Minister Horacio Ramírez gave a press conference yesterday afternoon.
15. Captain. Captain Lorenzo indicated that the plane should make a forced landing.
16. The driver. The driver of the limousine is named Carlos Alberto.
17. The crocodile. The swamp crocodile is a female.
18. The hummingbird. The hummingbird flies fast.
19. The trader. The merchant Raúl, from the corner store, was happy about the increase in his sales.
20. The accomplice. The criminal was arrested along with his accomplice. Her name was Ángeles Rodríguez, a well-known criminal with a long history as a professional bank robber.
21. The janitor. The janitor and his wife went on vacation last Monday.
22. The husband. The spouse and her husband renewed their vows last month.
23. The colonel. Juan was dressed as a colonel, while his wife dressed as a mermaid for the costume party.
24. The dolphin. The male dolphin was with a female dolphin.
25. The dentist. The dentist, Laura Amado, has 25 years of experience in this profession.
26. The drawer. The conceptual artist is called Marcelo.
27. The finalist. The finalist for the round is Aurora, the music teacher.
28. The governor. The ruler of that region did not enter into reasons. That is why they had to dialogue with his wife.
29. The hippo. The hippopotamus is not a friendly animal. Neither does the female.
30. The Lynx. The lynx was the target of this season. In this case it also refers to the lynx as a species.
31. The sea. I will spend the next vacation sailing the Mediterranean Sea.
32. The world. The world is round.
33. The whale. The white whale travels 2500 km to mate.
34. Breeding. The offspring of the bitch turned out to be 3 males and 3 females.
35. Person. The person who called the police was Rodrigo Fuentes.
36. The burrow. The den is full of rats.
37. The victim. The victim was a white male approximately 75 years old.
38. The spider. The chick spider has a deadly poison.
39. The Iguana. The iguana is green.
40. The orca. The orca is not a killer. Here they also refer (according to the sentence) to the species.
41. The Panther. The cartoon panther is pink, but there is no such color animal in nature. Here they also refer (according to the sentence) to the species
42. Partridge. Partridge eggs are considered an exotic food in certain countries.
43. The lordship. His honor, Judge Talabarez, indicated the sentence this morning.
44. The wasp. The queen wasp must always be a female.

• Follows with: Animal nouns