Tanım
•a matron, female head of household · a term of respect or affection for a woman · an older woman
Etimoloji
/tonuɕi/ → /tonʑi/ → /toʑi/ Contraction from otherwise unnattested tonushi, originally as a compound of 戸 (to, “door, gate; household”) + 主 (nushi, “lord, boss, head”). This referred to a woman, as women were generally responsible for matters within the household. The 刀自 spelling is an example of ateji (当(あ)て字(じ)). The 刀自 spelling in phonetic man'yōgana with the toji pronunciation is the first…