Ask A Linguist For October 1997 - December 1997
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> From: Heather Thelwell <Thelwell@fis.utoronto.ca>
> I have a request for a term that is the masculine equivalent to the word
> mistress. Recently I was engaged in a conversation about kept men and
> found myself at a loss for a word in the English language that conveys
> the same attitude as mistress. The term gigolo has negative and
> derogatory connotations, as does cocubine. Lover is not gender
> specific. Can you offer any suggestions?
> Regards,
> Heather
>
'Paramour' for one; 'lover' might do in some contexts, too. Though
neither quite implies a 'kept' man, since this kind of arrangement, at
least historically, either hasn't happened that much or hasn't been talked
about as much.
Karen Steffen Chung
National Taiwan University
karchung@ccms.ntu.edu.tw