English for Students

English : Hominist

What is the opposite of feminist? Is hominist the right word?

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Most people that I asked this question to said that the opposite is chauvinist. While surfing the Net, I came across a word which has been part of the English language for nearly a century. The word is hominist. A hominist is someone who advocates equal rights for men.

The o in the first syllable is like the o in hot, pot and got, and the i in the following two syllables is like the i in bit, hit and sit. The main stress is on the first syllable.

• After meeting several feminists, Satish decided to become a hominist.

• Aryan, the General Manager, is a vocal hominist.

• His students say that Bala is a self proclaimed hominist.

The word, I understand, was coined by G. B. Shaw in the preface to his play Man and Superman. While all dictionaries include the word feminist, very few include hominist. Wonder why!

By the way, what do you think is the opposite of feminist? Please do write in.

If feminists are women trying to be men, I suppose men trying to be women are hominists.




COURTESY : The Hindu (The National News-Paper) - India