weaker vessel

weaker vessel

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

weaker vessel (plural weaker vessels)

1. (idiomatic, dated, now offensive) A woman; women collectively.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 1 Peter 3:7:

     Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel.

   • 1727, Daniel Defoe, The Political History of the Devil, ch. 8:

     Certainly, when Satan first made the Attempt upon Eve, he did not think he should have so easily conquered her. . . . Well might she be said to be the weaker Vessel, tho’ Adam himself had little enough to say for his being the stronger.

   • 1868, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter 41, in Little Women: Or, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, (please specify |part=1 or 2), Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, OCLC 30743985:

     When women are the advisers, the lords of creation don't take the advice till they have persuaded themselves that it is just what they intended to do. Then they act upon it, and, if it succeeds, they give the weaker vessel half the credit of it. If it fails, they generously give her the whole.

Usage notes

• Usually preceded by the.
• In contemporary usage, this term is likely to be regarded as belittling and inappropriate.

Translations

a woman; women collectively

Bashkir: гүзәл зат (güzäl zat) Chinese: Mandarin: 女性 (zh) (nǚxìng) (neutral), 婦道人家／妇道人家 (zh) (fùdao rénjia) (derogatory) Finnish: heikompi astia (fi) French: le sexe le plus faible, vaisseau plus fragile German: das schwächste Werkzeug Italian: il sesso debole m Portuguese: please add this translation if you can Romanian: ființa mai slabă f Russian: сла́бый пол (ru) m (slábyj pol), немощнейший сосуд (nemoščnejšij sosud) Swedish: det svagare kärlet, det svagare könet n

See also

• fair sex
• weaker sex