Question

Identify the feminine form of the noun : monk.
a)Monkess
b)She-monk
c)Lady monk
d)Nun

Answer 1

Hint: Feminine nouns are used for women, girls, and female animals.

Complete step by step answer:
Noun classifications also include a grammatical gender classification, which includes masculine and feminine categories. A monk is a part of a religious group of men, specifically. Now, a monk is, in obvious ways, a masculine category. Here, we are asked the female category of a monk, and while looking at the options, one generally gets confused as there are many words which uses a “she” or a “lady” as a prefix while converting a male form of the noun to a female form or noun. The word “nun” is usually used for a female, who is a part of a religious group of this particular gender. Nun is often referred to as female monks. Although, in many English communities, a monk is used for both male and female ascetics from any religious background. On the other hand, if we look at all the other options, we may find out that the words “monkess”, “she-monk” and a “lady monk” hold no meaning in the dictionary, which means the words are vague.
Hence, option d. that is, Nun is the correct answer to this question.

Note: A nun is often misinterpreted as a lady monk, in a Buddhist community, but this doesn't mean that lady monk is the feminine of a monk.