A Surprisingly Wild History of English Words
If you’ve ever heard someone say, “Well actually, ‘man’ used to be gender-neutral,” you may have rolled your eyes and assumed this was linguistic cope invented during a heated internet argument.
Plot twist: It’s true!
And while we’re at it—what about werewolves? Is the “were” part secretly saying “male wolf-man,” and if so, where are all the lady werewolves?
Let’s step away from modern assumptions and take a short, mildly entertaining trip into the strange, hairy forests of Old English.
Yes, “Man” Used to Be Gender-Neutral (No Agenda Required)
In Old English (roughly before the year 1100), the word mann did not mean “adult male.”
It meant:
a human being. Any human. Full stop.
If you wanted to specify gender, Old English was actually more precise than modern English:
- mann = a human being (gender-neutral)
- wer = an adult male human
- wīf = an adult female human
So in early English:
- Men were wer
- Women were wīf
- Everyone together was mann
That’s why words like:
- mankind
- everyman
- the common man
originally meant humanity, not guys only.
Over centuries, English did what English does best: simplified itself into confusion.
“Man” drifted toward “adult male,” and mann lost its neutral sense almost entirely.
Ironically, modern English ended up less precise than its ancient version.
So… Does “Were” in Werewolf Mean “Male”?
Short answer: kind of—but not how people usually think.
The “were” in werewolf comes from Old English wer, meaning:
adult male human
So werewolf literally meant:
“man-wolf” (male human + wolf)
But—and this is important—wer wasn’t a gender marker, like “male” in modern grammar. It was simply the noun for adult man, as opposed to wīf (adult woman) or mann (human in general).
There was no grammatical rule saying:
“Only men can turn into wolves.”
Instead, folklore focused on:
- warriors
- hunters
- cursed men
- violent transformations tied to masculinity and power
So the male term became the default, not because women were excluded linguistically, but because medieval storytelling was deeply male-centered.
In other words:
The werewolf wasn’t male because of language.
The language was male because of the culture.
Why This Feels Weird to Us Today
Modern English lost two key words:
- wer (except in werewolf)
- mann as a neutral term
That leaves us with:
- man = male
- were = ???
- and a lot of modern confusion when we look backward
We’re applying 21st-century meanings to 1,000-year-old words, which is like judging medieval medicine using WebMD.
(Yes, bloodletting was bad. No, they didn’t know about germs. Context matters.)
Fun Bonus: “Woman” Literally Meant “Female Person”
The word woman comes from wīfmann, meaning:
female human
Not “wife.”
Not “man’s property.”
Just… female person.
Over time, wīfmann shortened into woman, while mann lost its neutral meaning.
English didn’t start sexist here.
It just aged… awkwardly.
Why This Still Matters
Language debates today often get heated because people assume:
- words have always meant what they mean now
- changes are intentional or political
In reality, English evolves through:
- laziness
- repetition
- cultural dominance
- and a complete disregard for future clarity
Which is how we ended up with silent letters, inconsistent spelling, and a wolf-man whose name still confuses us centuries later.
Enjoyed This? There’s More Where That Came From.
If you like language myths, historical English, and explanations that don’t talk down to you, check out my other blog posts where I break down:
- common grammar misunderstandings
- strange English word histories
- and why English is the way it is (spoiler: it’s chaos)
Browse my other blogs and fall down the rabbit hole.
Just… watch out for the werewolves.