कवयित्री (kavyitrii)
noun
A single-sense word meaning 'poetess, female poet' (kavyitrii); the feminine counterpart of कवि (kavi, 'poet').
Sense
1
:
female poet, poetess
noun, feminine
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: You will hear this word at kavi sammelans (kavi sammelan, 'poetry gatherings') and literary festivals when a host formally announces a woman poet by name, e.g. 'अगली कवयित्री हैं...' (aglii kavyitrii hain, 'the next poetess is...'). It carries a slightly formal, respectful register compared to just saying कवि (kavi) for everyone regardless of gender, which is also very common in casual speech.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often just use कवि (kavi) for a woman poet since it looks gender-neutral; that is fine informally, but कवयित्री (kavyitrii) is the correct dedicated feminine form used in formal introductions, literary programs, and writing. 2) Do not confuse the ending with the common -नी feminine pattern (like शिक्षक (shikshak) to शिक्षिका (shikshikaa)); कवयित्री (kavyitrii) is an irregular Sanskrit-derived feminine, not built by a regular suffix rule.
Sample Sentences:
अगली कवयित्री हैं सुमन शर्मा जी।
The next poetess is Ms. Suman Sharma.
(aglii kavyitrii hain suman sharmaa jii।)
वह एक मशहूर कवयित्री हैं।
She is a famous poetess.
(vah ek mashahoor kavyitrii hain।)
इस कवि सम्मेलन में तीन कवयित्रियाँ भाग ले रही हैं।
Three poetesses are taking part in this poetry gathering.
(is kavi sammelan men tiin kavyitriyaan bhaag le rahii hain।)
उस कवयित्री ने अपनी नई कविता सुनाई।
That poetess recited her new poem.
(us kavyitrii ne apnii naii kavitaa sunaaii।)
काश मैं भी एक अच्छी कवयित्री होती।
I wish I too were a good poetess.
(kaash main bhii ek achchhii kavyitrii hotii।)
अगर वह कविताएँ लिखना जारी रखती तो एक बड़ी कवयित्री बन जाती।
If she had continued writing poems, she would have become a great poetess.
(agar vah kavitaaen likhnaa jaarii rakhtii to ek badii kavyitrii ban jaatii।)
इस पीढ़ी की कवयित्रियाँ बहुत साहसी विषयों पर लिखती हैं।
The poetesses of this generation write on very bold subjects.
(is piidhii kii kavyitriyaan bahut saahsii vishyon par likhtii hain।)
क्या तुम्हें उस कवयित्री का नाम याद है जिसने पिछले साल पुरस्कार जीता था?
Do you remember the name of the poetess who won the award last year?
(kyaa tumhen us kavyitrii kaa naam yaad hai jisne pichhle saal puraskaar jiitaa thaa?)
उस कवयित्री की कविताओं का संग्रह जल्द ही प्रकाशित किया जाएगा।
A collection of that poetess's poems will soon be published.
(us kavyitrii kii kavitaaon kaa sangrah jald hii prakaashit kiyaa jaaegaa।)
सभा में उस युवा कवयित्री का सम्मान किया गया।
The young poetess was honored at the gathering.
(sabhaa men us yuvaa kavyitrii kaa sammaan kiyaa gayaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
कवयित्री
(kavyitrii)
(sg.f.oblique):
कवयित्री
(kavyitrii)
(pl.f.direct):
कवयित्रियाँ
(kavyitriyaan)
(pl.f.oblique):
कवयित्रियों
(kavyitriyon)