meli

meli
Pronunciation	/ˈme.li/
Usage	2024: Common (82% → )2023: Common44-category system, Widespread66-category system (82% ↘︎ )2022: Widespread (89%)
Book and era	nimi pu
Part of speech	Content word
Codepoint	󱤳 U+F1933

meli is a common content word relating to femininity. It is coordinate with mije for masculinity and tonsi for non-binary genders.

Etymology

The word meli is derived from Tok Pisin meri ("woman, wife"), itself from English Mary, a feminine name.

Semantic space

The semantic space of meli includes femininity and feminine people, such as woman and girls, be them cisgender or transgender. It may refer to one's wife, as in meli mi.

Speakers adherent to gendern't philosophy reject using the word meli by virtue of avoiding gender word altogether.

pu

In the "Official Toki Pona Dictionary" section, the book Toki Pona: The Language of Good defines meli as:

NOUN  woman, female, feminine person; wife

ku

For Toki Pona Dictionary, respondents in ma pona pi toki pona translated these English words as meli:

female⁵81–100% of respondents, lady⁴61–80% of respondents, woman⁴61–80% of respondents, girl³41–60% of respondents, wife²21–40% of respondents, cisgender woman²21–40% of respondents, transgender woman²21–40% of respondents, ma’am²21–40% of respondents

sitelen pona

Alternate version of the sitelen pona glyph

The sitelen pona glyph for meli (󱤳) represents a person with long hair or wearing a hijab. An alternate glyph variant (melimeli) is derived from the planetary gender symbol also used for Venus (♀).

sitelen sitelen

The sitelen sitelen word glyph for meli (melimeli) is derived from an Early Pagan and Christian symbol for woman, in the shape of a triangle with a line on top. The symbol is placed inside a circle and on top of a "pedestal", similarly to other gender glyphs.

See also

• meli Sonko

Further reading

• "meli" on lipu Linku
• "meli" on lipu Wikipesija
• "meli" on English Wiktionary