-trix

American  

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, where it formed feminine nouns or adjectives corresponding to agent nouns ending in -tor (Bellatrix ). On this model, -trix is used in English to form feminine nouns (aviatrix; executrix ) and geometrical terms denoting straight lines (directrix ).

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-trix British  

suffix

1. indicating a feminine agent, corresponding to nouns ending in -tor

   executrix

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Gender

A suffix borrowed directly from Latin, -trix has been used since the 15th century on feminine agent nouns that correspond to a masculine (in Latin) or generic (in English) agent noun ending in -tor: aviator, aviatrix; legislator, legislatrix; orator, oratrix. Most nouns in -trix have dropped from general use, so that terms like aviatrix, benefactrix, legislatrix, oratrix, and proprietrix occur rarely or not at all in present-day English. The forms in -tor are applied to both men and women: Her sister is the proprietor of a new restaurant. When relevant, gender is specified with the generic term: Amelia Earhart was a pioneer woman aviator. Legal documents still use administratrix, executrix, inheritrix, and the like, but these forms too are giving way to the -tor forms. See also -enne, -ess, -ette.

Etymology

Origin of -trix

From Latin -trīx, stem -trīc-

Example Sentences

To hear it from Adams, he’s concerned that unlicensed edibles wrapped with the branding of popular kids’ foods like Trix cereal could mislead unsuspecting New York youth into consuming something they weren’t expecting.

From Slate

The camera lingers on a still image of the Trix Rabbit caught mid-hop as this stanza builds:

From Salon

The latest warning includes a photo of two cereal boxes — one Lucky Charms, the other Trix — and their contents.

From Seattle Times

As Willems explained it, “Naked Mole Rat” explores themes — self-acceptance, tolerance, celebrating others’ passions — that relate directly to his own experience, both as a cartooning-obsessed child of Dutch immigrants and as the parent of a 21-year-old son, Trix, who is transgender.

From New York Times

Meanwhile, in 1954, General Mills released Trix cereal and in 1958, the company released Cocoa Puffs, according to the General Mills website.

From Fox News