mulierem

Mulierem is the accusative singular form of the Latin noun mulier, meaning “woman.” The word mulier is a feminine noun of the third declension and is used to refer to a female person in classical and later Latin texts. It is distinct from uxor, which specifically means “wife.”

Declension and forms

The standard paradigm for mulier is as follows (singular): nom mulier, gen mulieris, dat mulieri, acc mulierem, abl muliere. Plural forms are nom mulieres, gen mulierum, dat mulieribus, acc mulieres, abl mulieribus. Therefore, mulierem serves as the direct object in sentences such as “Marcus mulierem videt” (Marcus sees a woman).

Usage and nuance

In Latin, mulier refers to a woman in general and is used across various narrative and descriptive contexts. The accusative form mulierem appears when the woman is the object of a verb or the object of a preposition requiring the accusative. The term is common in classical literature, legal texts, and religious or philosophical writings. It is not limited to modern sensibilities and may carry different shades of meaning depending on context, but it remains a general, neutral term for a woman.

Related terms

Related words include muliebris (pertaining to women or womanly, often with connotations of femininity or softness) and mulieris (genitive form used in plural phrases). The word’s etymology is debated; it is a native Latin noun with cognates in Italic languages, and its precise origin is not definitively established.

Examples

Marcus mulierem videt. (Marcus sees a woman.)

Puella mulierem amavit. (The girl loved a woman.)