legislatrix

legislatrix (plural not attested)

1. (archaic) A female legislator.
   • 1776, John Lind (1776), "Letter II: Of civil liberty, and the principles of government", in: Three letters to Dr. Price, London: T. Payne, J. Sewell, and P. Elmsly, page 40:

     Every woman too is her own legislatrix. 'Good doctor, reprint this sheet; add, but in capitals,—“every woman is her own legislatrix.”—These words alone will sell at least nine more editions of your work.

   • 1818, Adam Neale (1818), Travels through some parts of Germany, Poland, Moldavia, and Turkey, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, page 3:

     The Ganges has been held in the most profound veneration ever since De-arg, according to the received tradition, precipitated herself into it. She was a celebrated legislatrix. In her advanced age, she descended into the Ganges, where she now dwells.

   • 2014, Erin McBurney (1 January–15 May 2014), "Picturing the Greek Project: Catherine II’s iconography of conquest and culture", Russian Literature, 75(1–4):415–443, DOI:10.1016/j.ruslit.2014.05.018, page 428:

     The Empress as Legislatrix gazed down upon a long table also covered in red velvet, surrounded by twelve carved and gilded armchairs reserved for the first twelve recipients of the Order, her true “disciples”.

• (Can we find and add a quotation of Shaftesbury to this entry?)
• Logically the plural would seem to be legislatrices or legislatrixes, but these words do not seem to be attested in English.