Final answer:
When the masculine singular form of an adjective ends in "ant," the feminine form typically ends in "ante" in languages like French. English forms feminine equivalents by adding the suffix -ess to masculine nouns, but the use of gender-specific terms is diminishing as language evolves toward gender neutrality.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the masculine singular form of an adjective ends in "ant," it goes to "ante" when forming the feminine equivalent in certain languages that express gender grammatically, such as French. For example, consider the adjective "charmant" (charming); in the feminine form, it becomes "charmante." This is similar to the way nouns can change gender in English, where some masculine nouns ending in -er or -or change to a feminine form by adding the suffix -ess, as in the transformation of "host" to "hostess." Today, there is a movement towards more gender-neutral language, reducing the emphasis on such gendered forms.
In the context of English spelling, the suffix -ess is added to masculine nouns to create female equivalents. However, not all masculine nouns have a feminine form using -ess, and some -ess words are falling out of use in English as society transitions to more gender-neutral language.