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איילונית

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Hebrew

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Etymology

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From אַיִל (áyil, ram) +‎ ־נִית (-nít), a diminutive suffix;[1] from Aramaic ־נִיתָא, Classical Syriac -ܢܝܬܐ (-nīṯā).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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איילונית / אַיְלוֹנִית (aylonítf (plural indefinite איילוניות / אַיְלוֹנִיּוֹת)

  1. (Jewish law, potentially offensive) barren woman, woman physically unable to bear children
  2. (Jewish law, potentially offensive) a female who is sexually underdeveloped or develops male secondary sex characteristics during puberty
    • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 80b:
      וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא אַיְלוֹנִית? כֹּל שֶׁהִיא בַּת עֶשְׂרִים וְלֹא הֵבִיאָה שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת, וַאֲפִילּוּ הֵבִיאָה לְאַחַר מִכָּאן — הֲרֵי הִיא כְּאַיְלוֹנִית לְכׇל דְּבָרֶיהָ. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן סִימָנֶיהָ: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לָהּ דַּדִּים, וּמִתְקַשָּׁה בִּשְׁעַת תַּשְׁמִישׁ. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לָהּ שִׁיפּוּלֵי מֵעַיִם כְּנָשִׁים. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁקּוֹלָה עָבֶה, וְאֵינָהּ נִיכֶּרֶת בֵּין אִשָּׁה לְאִישׁ.
      And who is a aylonit? It is she who is twenty years old and has not yet grown two pubic hairs. And even if she grows pubic hairs afterward, she is still considered a aylonit with regard to all her matters. And her signs are as follows: she does not have breasts and experiences pain during intercourse. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: It is anyone whose lower abdomen is not formed like that of other women, as she lacks the cushion of flesh that is usually situated above a woman’s genitals. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: It is anyone whose voice is deep, so that it is not evident from it whether she is a woman or a man.

Usage notes

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  • Potentially offensive when used in regards to humans in day-to-day contexts.

Coordinate terms

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References

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  1. ^ Klein, Ernest (1987) A COMPREHENSIVE ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE FOR READERS OF ENGLISH[1], Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 22