cot quean

cot·quean

[kot-kween]
noun
1.
Archaic. a man who busies himself with traditionally women's household duties.
2.
Archaic. a coarse woman.
Origin:
1540–50; cot2 + quean

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
cotquean (ˈkɒtˌkwiːn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a coarse woman
2.  a man who does housework
 
[C16: see cot², quean]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Cot quean is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cotquean
1540s, obsolete, "housewife of a cot," from cot (see cottage) + quean; hence "a vulgar beldam, scold" [OED]; also used contemptuously (by Shakespeare, etc.) of men seen as overly interested in housework.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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