feminine
See also: féminine
EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English feminine, femynyne, femynyn, from Old French feminin, feminine, from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-eh₂ (“(the one) nursing, breastfeeding”). Related to fetus, feminism, filial, fellatio.
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
feminine (comparative more feminine, superlative most feminine)
- Of or pertaining to the female gender; womanly.
- Of or pertaining to the female sex; biologically female, not male.
- Belonging to females; typically used by females.
- Mary, Elizabeth, and Edith are feminine names.
- Having the qualities stereotypically associated with women: nurturing, not aggressive.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book 7”, in Paradise Lost. A Poem Written in Ten Books, London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:
- Her heavenly form Angelic, but more soft and feminine.
- 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, OCLC 1069526323:
- Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace.
- 1614, Walter Raleigh, Historie of the World
- Ninias being esteemed no man of warre at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy.
- (grammar) Of, pertaining or belonging to the female grammatical gender, in languages that have gender distinctions.
SynonymsEdit
- (of the female sex): female, womanly
- (having qualities stereotypical of the female gender): caring, ladylike, nurturing
AntonymsEdit
- (of the female sex): male, manly
- (having qualities stereotypical of the female gender): butch, masculine
- (grammar): masculine, neuter
Derived termsEdit
- femininely
- feminineness
- feminine rhyme (prosody)
- femininity
- feminize
TranslationsEdit
of the female sex
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belonging to females
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having the qualities associated with women
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of the feminine grammatical gender distinction
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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NounEdit
feminine (plural feminines)
- That which is feminine.
- (rare, possibly obsolete) A woman.
- Richard Hakluyt:
- They guide the feminines toward the palace.
- Richard Hakluyt:
- (grammar) The feminine gender.
- (grammar) A word of the feminine gender.
- Latham:
- There are but few true feminines in English.
- Latham:
TranslationsEdit
that which is feminine
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woman — see woman
(grammar)
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a word of the feminine gender
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
GermanEdit
AdjectiveEdit
feminine
- inflection of feminin:
LatinEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From fēminīnus (“feminine”) + -ē.
PronunciationEdit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /feː.miˈniː.neː/, [feː.mɪˈniː.neː]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /fe.miˈni.ne/, [fɛ.miˈniː.nɛ]
AdverbEdit
fēminīnē (comparative fēminīnius, superlative fēminīnissimē)
Related termsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
Inflected form of fēminīnus (“feminine”).
PronunciationEdit
- (Classical) IPA(key): /feː.miˈniː.ne/, [feː.mɪˈniː.nɛ]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /fe.miˈni.ne/, [fɛ.miˈniː.nɛ]
AdjectiveEdit
fēminīne
ReferencesEdit
- feminine in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- feminine in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
Norwegian BokmålEdit
AdjectiveEdit
feminine
Norwegian NynorskEdit
AdjectiveEdit
feminine
RomanianEdit
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
feminine
- feminine plural nominative of feminin
- feminine plural accusative of feminin
- neuter plural nominative of feminin
- neuter plural accusative of feminin
SwedishEdit
AdjectiveEdit
feminine
- absolute definite natural masculine form of feminin.