Question

Pick out the feminine form of the given masculine noun.
Patriarch
a) Matroness
b) Matriarch
c) Patroness
d) Mother

Answer 1

Hint: Patriarch means a male head of the family. Thus it is a masculine noun. Some examples of masculine and feminine nouns are baron-baroness, male-female, etc. Usually, words that have the suffix “-ess” are feminine nouns.

Complete answer:
Option a is wrong because there is no word called matroness which exists in the english language. Matron is a correct word but there is no word called matroness.
Option b is the correct answer because the feminine form of patriarch is matriarch. A matriarch is the female head of the family.
Option c is wrong because patroness is the feminine noun of the word patron. A male is a patron while a female is a patroness. A patron is a male who supports an event with gifts, money, etc. Our principal is the patron of all our school events.
Option d is a mother. Very commonly, it is the feminine form of the word “father”. The same word is usually not the feminine form of more than one word. My mother not only makes the best butter chicken in the world but also is my most favorite teacher.

Note:
 While some masculine-feminine nouns can be guessed from common usage, they are best learned from books and websites through reading. Also, it is important to know which are the words that actually exist in the English language.