# Origins of gendered nouns

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-gendered-nouns/813635>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 5, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-gendered-nouns/813635 "2018-05-05T11:39:55Z")\
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**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-gendered-nouns/813635/39 "2018-05-07T19:22:33Z")

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> [@naita](#):
>
> [Luraghi](http://allegatifac.unipv.it/silvialuraghi/Gender%20FoL.pdf)

Fascinating. Among other things – it’s probably no coincidence that, in several I-E languages (e.g., Latin and Greek),\* -a\* can be “feminine singular” or “neuter plural.” The neuter plural (e.g., _data,_ plural of _datum_) is an abstract noun\* from a verb (“to give”), conceived as a collection – so, the modern English tendency to consider “data” as singular is sort of going back to its roots.

\*As were “feminine singulars,” at first – as thy still are in, say, Spanish (_gloria_=glory; _muerte_=death; _gente_=people…)

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