feminine
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary Jump to: navigation, search Wikipedia has articles on: Feminine See also féminine
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English
Etymology
From Old French feminin, from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂ (“who sucks”). Related to fetus, feminism, filial, fellatio.
Pronunciation
Adjective
feminine (comparative more feminine, superlative most feminine)
- Of the female sex; biologically female, not male, womanly.
- Belonging to females; appropriated to, or used by, females.
- Mary, Elizabeth, and Edith are feminine names.
- Having the qualities associated with a woman or the female gender; suitable to, or characteristic of, a woman; nurturing; not masculine or aggressive.
- Her heavenly form Angelic, but more soft and feminine — John Milton
- Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace — Thomas Babington Macaulay
- Ninus being esteemed no man of war at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy — Sir Walter Raleigh
- (grammar) Grammatical gender distinction in languages that describes nouns including those pertaining to females and objects that are assigned the feminine gender.
Synonyms
- (of the female sex): female, womanly
- (having qualities of female gender): caring, ladylike, nurturing
Antonyms
- (of the female sex): male, manly
- (having qualities of female gender): butch, masculine
- (grammar): masculine
Derived terms
- femininely
- feminineness
- feminine rhyme (prosody)
- femininity
- feminize
Adverb
feminine (comparative more feminine, superlative most feminine)
- Of or pertaining to woman.
- Having the qualities of a woman.
Noun
feminine (plural feminines)
- The female principle
- (Obsolete or Colloquial): A woman.
- They guide the feminines toward the palace — Richard Hakluyt
- (grammar) Any one of those words which are the appellations of females, or which have the terminations usually found in such words; as, actress, songstress, abbess, executrix.
- There are but few true feminines in English — Latham
Translations
female principle
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German
Adjective
feminine
- strong feminine singular nominative form of feminin.
- strong feminine singular accusative form of feminin.
- strong plural nominative form of feminin.
- strong plural accusative form of feminin.
- weak masculine singular nominative form of feminin.
- weak feminine singular nominative form of feminin.
- weak feminine singular accusative form of feminin.
- weak neuter singular nominative form of feminin.
- weak neuter singular accusative form of feminin.
- mixed feminine singular nominative form of feminin.
- mixed feminine singular accusative form of feminin.
Latin
Etymology
From fēminīnus (“feminine”) + -ē.
Pronunciation
Adverb
fēminīnē (comparative fēminīnius, superlative fēminīnissimē)
Related terms
Adjective
fēminīne
- vocative masculine singular of fēminīnus
Romanian
Adjective
feminine
- feminine plural nominative form of feminin
- feminine plural accusative form of feminin
- neuter plural nominative form of feminin
- neuter plural accusative form of feminin
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nytimes.com
Fri, 27 Aug 2010 02:56:50 GMT+00:00
New York Times What, for instance, is particularly feminine about a Frenchman's beard (la barbe)? Why is Russian water a she, and why does she become a he once you have ...
wonderhowto.com
Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 PST
wonderhowto.com.
rightwingnews.com
William Teach
Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:43:44 GM
The issue for me is that those traits of his which are being cited as . feminine. , are really more epicene - feeble, weak. If Mr. Bush was the consummate cowboy, then Mr. Obama is the definitive city slicker visiting the dude ranch. ...
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