bluestocking
noun
bluestocking is spelled B-L-U-E-S-T-O-C-K-I-N-G: 12 letters. It appears about once in every 26 million words in written English, the 154,067th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory noun, bluestocking means “A scholarly, literary, or cultured woman” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bluestocking is bluestockings.
How many letters and syllables are in bluestocking?
| Letters | 12: B-L-U-E-S-T-O-C-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 26 million words; the 154,067th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bluestocking?
Bluestocking appears about once in every 26 million words in written English, the 154,067th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Forms of bluestocking
- bluestockings plural
- blue-stocking
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bluestocking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
derogatoryA scholarly, literary, or cultured woman.
- 2
A member of an 18th-century Blue Stockings Society.
- 3
A member of the English parliament of 1653, more commonly called the Barebones Parliament.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bluestocking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense scholarly, literary, or cultured woman:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | bas-bleu |
| German | Blaustrumpf |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bluestocking come from?
From the 17th century. Originally in reference to blue stockings worn by men as opposed to more expensive white stockings. First associated with the Barebones Parliament in the 17th century, then with a series of literary salons which admitted female intellectuals in the 18th century; in particular the 18th-century Blue Stockings Society led by Elizabeth Montagu on the Parisian model. The term was not originally derogatory. However, none of the ladies wore blue stockings. The first recorded use of the term is in reference to Benjamin Stillingfleet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).