heifer

Douglas G. Wilson douglas at NB.NET
Tue Feb 14 17:36:05 UTC 2012


On 2/14/2012 10:58 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>
> An actual query: are _heifer_ and _filly_ the *only* terms that are glossed as 'a female X that has never given birth'?  Maybe there are parallel words for pre-parturitional sheep and pigs; as a true New Yorker, I wouldn't know.  It's odd that we don't seem to have such a word where X = human, especially since we do have words like "primipara".  (I remember my wife's reaction at age 38 when she was referred to at OB-GYN as an "elderly primipara".)
--

Likewise "nullipara" is used. But I suppose such a word is mostly used
in medical jargon.

-- Doug Wilson

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