authrix

authrix

English

Etymology

Compare Latin auctrīx[1] (also authrīx and autrīx in later Latin) and Middle English auctrice, auctrix.

Noun

authrix (plural not attested)

1. (rare) female equivalent of author
   • 1611, Randle Cotgrave, compiler, “Authrice”, in A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongves, London: […] Adam Islip, OCLC 491770318, column 2:

     Authrice: f. An Autrix, Authoreſſe, or Actreſſe.

   • 1614, Iohn White, A Defence of the Way to the True Church Against A.D. His Reply Wherein the Motives Leading to Papistry, and Questions, Touching the Rule of Faith, the Authoritie of the Church, the Succession of the Truth, and the Beginning of Romish Innouations: Are Handled and Fully Disputed, London: […] [Richard Field] for William Barret, pages 122–123:

     Eue was auctrix of death: Marie is auctrix of merit. Eue did hurt by killing: Marie did helpe by quickening, &c.

   • 1650, Joh. Bapt. Van Helmont, Walter Charleton, transl., A Ternary of Paradoxes. The Magnetick Cure of Wounds. Nativity of Tartar in Wine. Image of God in Man., London: […] James Flesher for William Lee, page 76:

     That the Magnetiſme of the Loadſtone and other inanimate Creatures is performed by a certain Naturall ſenſation, the immediate Authrix of all ſympathy, is a truth unqueſtionable.

   • 1655, Gio[vanni] Francesco Biondi, R[obert] G[entilis], transl., Coralbo: A New Romance in Three Bookes, London: […] Humphrey Moseley, page 124:

     As for the publick injuries to which thou oughtest to give satisfaction, two things are required. One to produce the author, or confesse thy self to be autrix of the calumnies raised against the Queen and the Prince of Arabia.

   • 1667, E[dward] W[arren], No Præexistence. Or a brief Dissertation Against the Hypothesis of Humane Souls, Living in a State Antecedaneous to This., London: […] T. R. for Samuel Thomson, page 24:

     Yet we need not introduce Præexiſtence to ſolve the miſfortune, nor father this their infelicity on the miſcarriages of a former ſtate, to prevent daring reflections on Providence, as if that were the Autrix of it;

   • 1896 February 28, “Is Merely a Teacher”, in The Fresno Weekly Republican‎, volume XX, number 9, Fresno, Calif.:

     Doubtless the authrix of the item in question was the same reportrix who told about “Paderewski and I” in a recent issue of a city paper which appears to have surrendered itself to reportrixes and such like curios.

   • 1937 September 25, Liberty, volume 14, number 39, page 43:

     Frances Joyce is star of technicolor ads, a toe dancer, and authrix of a non-spooked book on her experiences as a model.

   • 1994 April 24, Sean Willard, “Eskimos, Hopis, and Chmosky”, in alt.folklore.urban, Usenet:

     Oh puh-leeze, won't somebody out there dig up a copy of _Motorcycle Mouse_ or _Runaway Ralph_ (great kid's books about a mouse named Ralph -- sorry, the authrix' name escapes me) and find the cite of this song?

   • 2000 June 25, Willem Timmer, “Small brag (association copy?)”, in rec.collecting.books, Usenet:

     I got one offered directly from the author (or should I say authrix) with the choices: not signed or inscribed, signed or signed and inscribed.

Synonyms

• authoress

Translations

female author — see authoress

References

1. “†ˈauthrix”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, →ISBN, page 799.