In French, what is the feminine of maire (mayor)?
According to the French Academy (Académie française), maire is a masculine noun that designates the function :
- It should be written:
Madame le maire
- One should not use :
Madame la maire
la mairesse
However, there are militant actions for the feminization of the word maire, mainly motivated by a concern for equality between men and women:
La mairesse: if it is sometimes used to refer to a woman who holds the office of mayor, historically, the mairesse was the wife of the mayor. Today the word mairesse appears in some dictionaries with two definitions:
- the mayor's wife (old)
- woman holding the office of mayor (rare)
La maire: some dictionaries, notably the Petit and Grand Robert, now consider that the word maire is an epicene noun that can be used in both masculine and feminine forms. The Académie française specifies that the word maire designates the function and not the person. We will say "le maire" when talking about a woman, just as - conversely - we will use the feminine name "une vedette", even if it is a man.
When we look at usage, we see that the feminization of the word mayor remains very marginal. When writing a letter, an official document or in a formal setting it is therefore appropriate to use:
Madame le maire.
According to the French Academy (Académie française), maire is a masculine noun that designates the function :
- It should be written:
Madame le maire
- One should not use :
Madame la maire
la mairesse
However, there are militant actions for the feminization of the word maire, mainly motivated by a concern for equality between men and women:
La mairesse: if it is sometimes used to refer to a woman who holds the office of mayor, historically, the mairesse was the wife of the mayor. Today the word mairesse appears in some dictionaries with two definitions:
- the mayor's wife (old)
- woman holding the office of mayor (rare)
La maire: some dictionaries, notably the Petit and Grand Robert, now consider that the word maire is an epicene noun that can be used in both masculine and feminine forms. The Académie française specifies that the word maire designates the function and not the person. We will say "le maire" when talking about a woman, just as - conversely - we will use the feminine name "une vedette", even if it is a man.
When we look at usage, we see that the feminization of the word mayor remains very marginal. When writing a letter, an official document or in a formal setting it is therefore appropriate to use:
Madame le maire.
According to the French Academy (Académie française), maire is a masculine noun that designates the function :
- It should be written:
Madame le maire
- One should not use :
Madame la maire
la mairesse
However, there are militant actions for the feminization of the word maire, mainly motivated by a concern for equality between men and women:
La mairesse: if it is sometimes used to refer to a woman who holds the office of mayor, historically, the mairesse was the wife of the mayor. Today the word mairesse appears in some dictionaries with two definitions:
- the mayor's wife (old)
- woman holding the office of mayor (rare)
La maire: some dictionaries, notably the Petit and Grand Robert, now consider that the word maire is an epicene noun that can be used in both masculine and feminine forms. The Académie française specifies that the word maire designates the function and not the person. We will say "le maire" when talking about a woman, just as - conversely - we will use the feminine name "une vedette", even if it is a man.
When we look at usage, we see that the feminization of the word mayor remains very marginal. When writing a letter, an official document or in a formal setting it is therefore appropriate to use:
Madame le maire.
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