Quote Originally Posted by Papewaio View Post
Having the same root word does not make the derived words equivalent otherwise female would be male.
I agree with the point being made (that the same root can wind up in words with significantly different meanings), but have to take issue with the example. Female and male do not share a root. In fact, female comes from French femelle (used to indicate female animals and ultimately derived from Latin femina). It was only after it ended up used in opposition to male that the pronunciation and spelling changed, with the notion that their semantic relationship must imply an etymological one as well.

/language nerd

I definitely support egalitarianism and I'm not afraid of the label feminist, though I find militant feminism distasteful and off-putting (as do most folks, I suspect). I think the pay gap is the most significant challenge to be overcome at the moment. The same labor should receive the same compensation, and gender alone is not enough to justify lesser pay.

Ajax