The Second Sex

The Second Sex Glossary

abolish

put an end to a system, practice, or institution

aureole

a circle of light or brightness surrounding something, especially as depicted in art around the head or body of a person represented as holy

callous

showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others

clan

a group of close-knit and interrelated families

contingent

subject to chance

derogatory

showing a critical or disrespectful attitude

doctrine

a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group

gamete

a mature haploid male or female germ cell that is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote

imperialism

a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force

inert

lacking the ability or strength to move

materialism

a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values

maternity

motherhood

mosaic

a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass

oviduct

the tube through which an ovum or egg passes from an ovary

regime

a government, esp. an authoritarian one

saraband

a slow, stately Spanish dance in triple time

sovereignty

supreme power or authority

totem

a natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem

transcendence

superiority

immanent

present to experience; this-worldly; contrasted with transcendent (otherworldly)