Herstory

I subscribe to Oxford Dictionaries' (OD) word of the day and today's word is 'herstory'.

The OD's definition is 'history viewed from a female or specifically feminist perspective'.

The OED's entry for 'herstory' has yet to be updated (it dates back to 1993) but the entry is fascinating. The entry advises that 'herstory' occurs between 0.01 and 0.10 times per million words in typical modern English usage and that the word's etymology is a punning alteration of 'history' (fancifully reinterpreted as 'his story', implying that history has in the past been viewed predominantly from the male perspective), with his- replaced by her. The OED's earliest recorded use of the word is 1970 by R. Morgan in Sisterhood is Powerful.

My library offers all members access to the OED for free.

Parents
  • This is really interesting caretwo, thanks for posting. I have a fascination with words, their meanings, why and when they enter into society and their impact. It’s fascinating to see how powerful even tiny words can have on people. You might be interested in the book ‘plastic words’. It’s not easy to read but it’s fascinating and gives you a very clear insight into how society is shaped by words. 

Reply
  • This is really interesting caretwo, thanks for posting. I have a fascination with words, their meanings, why and when they enter into society and their impact. It’s fascinating to see how powerful even tiny words can have on people. You might be interested in the book ‘plastic words’. It’s not easy to read but it’s fascinating and gives you a very clear insight into how society is shaped by words. 

Children