A Bit More About Gender
There
are many collective nouns, mainly for plants, vegetables, fruit and animals
(mostly creepy-crawlies), which have a feminine singular, ending in –en, e.g.:
besow
> besowen birch tree
caretys
> caretysen carrot
crampoth
> crampothen pancake
ester
> estren oyster
greun
> greunen grain, berry
gwedh
> gwedhen tree
gwibes
> gwibesen gnat
hern
> hernen pilchard, sardine
kelyon
> kelyonen fly
kenes
> kenesen spider
logos
>logojen mouse
losow
> losowen herb, plant
nedh
> nedhen nit
per
> peren pear
ros
> rosen rose
sevy
> sevien strawberry
scaw
> scawen elder tree
spern
> spernen thorn bush
Some
place names include one form or the other (if somewhat mangled), e.g.:
Tresco
(Iniscaw 1540) elder trees island
Boscawen elder
tree dwelling
Enniscaven (Enyscawen 1472) isolated
area with an elder tree
Nanscawen elder tree
valley
Penscawn (Penscawen 1306) hilltop
with an elder tree
Sparnon
Gate (Spernen
1327) thorn tree
Trespearne
(Trespernan c1200) thorn tree farm
Tresean
(Tresevion c1200) strawberry farm
Engollan
(Hengollen 1418) old hazel tree
Fentongollan
(Fentengollen 1201) hazel-tree spring
Killiganoon
(Kellygnohan 1291) nut grove
Bissoe
(Besowe 1327) birch trees
Lambessow
(Lanbedou 1308) birch-trees enclosure
Though
do note that not every noun ending in –en is feminine, e.g.
edhen (m) bird
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