Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Feminine
Fem′i-nine
,Adj.
[L.
femininus
, fr. femina
woman; prob. akin to L. fetus
, or to Gr. θῆσθαι
to suck, θῆσαι
to suckle, Skr. dhā
to suck; cf. AS. fǣmme
woman, maid: cf. F. féminin
. See Fetus
.] 1.
Of or pertaining to a woman, or to women; characteristic of a woman; womanish; womanly.
Her letters are remarkably deficient in
feminine
ease and grace. Macaulay.
2.
Having the qualities of a woman; becoming or appropriate to the female sex; as, in a good sense, modest, graceful, affectionate, confiding; or, in a bad sense, weak, nerveless, timid, pleasure-loving, effeminate.
Her heavenly form
Angelic, but more soft and
Angelic, but more soft and
feminine
. Milton.
Ninus being esteemed no man of war at all, but altogether
feminine
, and subject to ease and delicacy. Sir W. Raleigh.
Syn. – See
Female
, Adj.
Fem′i-nine
,Noun.
1.
A woman.
[Obs. or Colloq.]
They guide the
feminines
toward the palace. Hakluyt.
2.
(Gram.)
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.
Webster 1828 Edition
Feminine
FEM'ININE
,Adj.
1.
Pertaining to a woman, or to women, or to females; as the female sex.2.
soft; tender; delicate.Her heavenly form angelic, but more soft and feminine.
3.
Effeminate; destitute of manly qualities.4.
In grammar, denoting the gender or words which signify females, or the terminations of such words. words are said to be of the feminine gender, when they denote females, or have the terminations proper to express females in any given language. Thus in L. dominus, a lord, is masculine; but domina, is mistress, a female.Milton uses feminine as a noun, for female.
Definition 2024
feminine
feminine
See also: féminine
English
Alternative forms
- (abbreviation, grammar): f.
Adjective
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.
- John Milton:
- Her heavenly form Angelic, but more soft and feminine.
- Thomas Babington Macaulay:
- Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace.
- Sir Walter Raleigh:
- Ninus being esteemed no man of war at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy.
- John Milton:
- (grammar) Of, pertaining or belonging to the female grammatical gender, in languages that have gender distinctions.
Synonyms
- (of the female sex): female, womanly
- (having qualities stereotypical of the female gender): caring, ladylike, nurturing
Antonyms
- (of the female sex): male, manly
- (having qualities stereotypical of the female gender): butch, masculine
- (grammar): masculine, neuter
Derived terms
- femininely
- feminineness
- feminine rhyme (prosody)
- femininity
- feminize
Translations
of the female sex
|
|
belonging to females
|
having the qualities associated with women
|
|
of the feminine grammatical gender distinction
|
|
Noun
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:
Translations
that which is feminine
|
|
woman — see woman
(grammar)
|
|
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 1
From fēminīnus (“feminine”) + -ē.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /feː.miˈniː.neː/
Adverb
fēminīnē (comparable fēminīnius, superlative fēminīnissimē)
Related terms
Etymology 2
Inflected form of fēminīnus (“feminine”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /feː.miˈniː.ne/
Adjective
fēminīne
- vocative masculine singular of fēminīnus
References
- feminine in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- Félix Gaffiot (1934), “feminine”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.