Definition
A female expositor; a woman who explains or interprets something in detail.
Etymology
From expositor + -ess (feminine suffix). This follows the older pattern of creating female agent nouns with -ess, similar to actress, waitress, or lioness.
Kelly Says
Most -ess words are now considered outdated or sexist—we just say 'expositor' for anyone regardless of gender. But in older texts, expositress shows how every profession had gendered noun pairs.
Translations
ARالعربية
مُفسِرة
mu-fasi-ra
BNবাংলা
ব্যাখ্যাকারী
byakhya-ka-ri
CACatalà
expositora
eks-po-zi-to-ra
CSČeština
expozitorka
eks-po-zi-tor-ka
DADansk
ekspositor
eks-po-zi-tor
DEDeutsch
Expositrice
eks-po-zi-tri-tse
ELΕλληνικά
εισαγωγική
ee-sa-go-ghi-ki
ESEspañol
expositora
eks-po-zi-to-ra
FAفارسی
설명자
seolmyeong-ja
FISuomi
selittäjä
sel-i-ttä-jä
FRFrançais
expositrice
eks-po-zi-t-rees
HEעברית
מַשַׁפְחָה
masha-fa-cha
HIहिन्दी
व्याख्यात्री
vyakhya-tri
HUMagyar
magyarázó nő
ma-gyara-zo no
IDBahasa Indonesia
penjelas wanita
pen-je-las wa-ni-ta
ITItaliano
espositrice
es-po-zi-tri-tse
KKKK
түсіндіруші ая
tu-sin-di-ru-shi a-ya
KMKM
ប្រព័ន្ធ
pra-pov-an-th
MRMR
व्याख्यात्री
vyakhya-tri
MSBahasa Melayu
penjelas wanita
pen-je-las wa-ni-ta
MYမြန်မာ
ကျယ်ပြန့်
kyai-pyan-nt
NLNederlands
expositrice
eks-po-zi-t-rees
NONorsk
ekspositor
eks-po-zi-tor
PLPolski
ekspozytorka
eks-po-zy-tor-ka
PTPortuguês
expositora
eks-po-zi-to-ra
RORomână
expozitoare
eks-po-zi-to-ree-e
RUРусский
экспозиторша
eks-po-zi-tor-sha
SVSvenska
expositör
eks-po-zi-toer
SWKiswahili
mtafsiri
ma-ta-f-si-ri
TAதமிழ்
விளக்கம்
vi-lak-kam
TEతెలుగు
వ్యాఖ్యానం
vyakhyanam
THไทย
ผู้บรรยาย
phu-bon-ya-i
TLTL
paliwanag
pa-li-wa-nag
TRTürkçe
açıklayıcı kadın
a-chi-klay-i-chi ka-din
UKУкраїнська
експозиторка
eks-po-zi-tor-ka
VITiếng Việt
người giải thích
nguoi giai thich
ZUZU
umshayeli
u-m-sha-ye-li
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
The '-ess' suffix marks women as a gender-specific variant of the masculine 'expositor,' historically used to note women in intellectual roles as exceptional or secondary.
Inclusive Usage
Avoid this form. Use 'expositor' or better, gender-neutral terms like 'scholar,' 'explicator,' or 'interpreter' for all genders.
Inclusive Alternatives
["expositor (inclusive)","scholar","explicator","interpreter"]
Empowerment Note
Women have been vital theological and intellectual expositors whose work was diminished by being marked with gendered suffixes or excluded from canons of 'expositors.'