איילונית

Hebrew

Etymology

From אַיִל (áyil, “ram”) +‎ ־נִית (-nít), a diminutive suffix; from Aramaic ־נִיתָא, Classical Syriac -ܢܝܬܐ (-nīṯā).

Pronunciation

• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ʔa.jĭ.loˈniθ/
• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /(ʔ)a.je.loˈnit/

Noun

איילונית / אַיְלוֹנִית • ('aylonít) f (plural indefinite איילוניות / אַיְלוֹנִיּוֹת)

1. (Jewish law, potentially offensive) barren woman, woman physically unable to bear children
   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Yevamot 1:1:

     וכולם אם מתו או מיאנו או נתגרשו או שנמצאו איילוניות צרותיהן מותרות ואי אתה יכול לומר בחמותו ואם חמותו ואם חמיו שנמצאו איילוניות או שמיאנו

     And all of them [the women who exempt their co-wives from levirate marriage], if [before their husbands' death] they had died, or had done mi'un, or had been divorced, or had been found barren, their co-wives are permissible. And you cannot say of his mother-in-law, or of the mother of his mother-in-law, or of the mother of his father-in-law, that they had been found barren or had done mi'un.

2. (Jewish law, potentially offensive) a female who is sexually underdeveloped or develops male secondary sex characteristics during puberty
   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 80b:

     וְאֵיזוֹ הִיא אַיְלוֹנִית? כֹּל שֶׁהִיא בַּת עֶשְׂרִים וְלֹא הֵבִיאָה שְׁתֵּי שְׂעָרוֹת, וַאֲפִילּוּ הֵבִיאָה לְאַחַר מִכָּאן — הֲרֵי הִיא כְּאַיְלוֹנִית לְכׇל דְּבָרֶיהָ. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן סִימָנֶיהָ: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לָהּ דַּדִּים, וּמִתְקַשָּׁה בִּשְׁעַת תַּשְׁמִישׁ. רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לָהּ שִׁיפּוּלֵי מֵעַיִם כְּנָשִׁים. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר: כֹּל שֶׁקּוֹלָה עָבֶה, וְאֵינָהּ נִיכֶּרֶת בֵּין אִשָּׁה לְאִישׁ.

     And who is a aylonit? It is she who is twenty years old and has not yet grown two pubic hairs. And even if she grows pubic hairs afterward, she is still considered a aylonit with regard to all her matters. And her signs are as follows: she does not have breasts and experiences pain during intercourse. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: It is anyone whose lower abdomen is not formed like that of other women, as she lacks the cushion of flesh that is usually situated above a woman’s genitals. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: It is anyone whose voice is deep, so that it is not evident from it whether she is a woman or a man.

Usage notes

• Potentially offensive when used in regards to humans in day-to-day contexts.

Coordinate terms

• זָכָר (zakhár)
• נְקֵבָה (neqevá)
• אַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס (andróginos)
• טוּמְטוּם (tumtúm)
• סָרִיס (sarís)