feminine

See also: féminine

English

Alternative forms

• f., f (abbreviation, grammar)
• fœminine (hypercorrect, obsolete)

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛmɪnɪn/, /ˈfɛmənɪn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: fem‧i‧nine

Adjective

feminine (comparative more feminine, superlative most feminine)

1. Of or pertaining to the female gender; womanly.
2. Of or pertaining to the female sex; biologically female, not male.
3. Belonging to females; typically used by females.

   Mary, Elizabeth, and Edith are feminine names.

4. Having the qualities stereotypically associated with women: nurturing, not aggressive.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     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:

     Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace.

   • 1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=1 to 5):

     Ninias being esteemed no man of warre at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy.

5. (grammar) Of, pertaining or belonging to the female grammatical gender, in languages that have gender distinctions.

   Synonym: female

   Coordinate terms: masculine, neuter, common

   1. (of a noun) Being of the feminine class or grammatical gender, and inflected in that manner.
   2. (of another part of speech) Being inflected in agreement with a feminine noun.
6. (grammar, Mongolic languages, of any word) Having the vowel harmony of a front vowel.

   Coordinate term: masculine

7. (prosody) Following or ending on an unstressed syllable.

   Feminine caesura, feminine catalexis, feminine ending.

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

• feminine caesura
• feminine ending
• feminine hygiene
• femininely
• feminineness
• feminine of center
• feminine product
• feminine rhyme
• femininity
• feminize
• masculofeminine

 

Translations

of the female sex

• Arabic: نِسَائِيّ (nisāʔiyy)
• Armenian: իգական (hy) (igakan)
• Belarusian: жано́чы (žanóčy), жано́цкі (žanócki)
• Bulgarian: же́нски (žénski)
• Czech: ženský (cs)
• Danish: kvindelig (da)
• Esperanto: ina (eo)
• Faroese: kvinnuligur
• Finnish: naispuolinen (fi), naaras-, naaraspuolinen (fi)
• French: féminin (fr)
• Galician: feminino (gl)
• Georgian: მდედრობითი (mdedrobiti), ქალური (kaluri)
• German: feminin (de), weiblich (de)
• Greek: θηλυκός (el) (thilykós)

  Ancient: θῆλυς (thêlus)

• Hindi: स्रैण (sraiṇ)
• Hungarian: női (hu), nőstény (hu), nőnemű (hu)
• Indonesian: feminin (id)
• Irish: baineann
• Italian: femminile (it)
• Japanese: 女らしい (おんならしい, onnarashii), 女性らしい (じょせいらしい, joseirashii), 女の (ja) (おんなの, onna no)
• Kazakh: әйелдік (äieldık)
• Korean: 여자답다 (yeojadapda), 녀자답다 (nyeojadapda) (North Korea)
• Latvian: sievišķīgs, sievišķs, sieviešu (lv)
• Manx: bwoirrin
• Marathi: स्त्रैण (straiṇ)
• Middle Persian: [script needed] (m'tk')
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: feminin

  Nynorsk: feminin

• Odia: ସ୍ତ୍ରୈଣ (straiṇa)
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina)
• Polish: żeński (pl)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt)
• Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi: ਜ਼ਨਾਨਾ (zanānā)

  Shahmukhi: زَنانہ (zanānh)

• Russian: же́нский (ru) (žénskij)
• Slovak: ženský (sk)
• Southern Altai: тижи (tiži)
• Spanish: femenino (es)
• Swedish: kvinnlig (sv), feminin (sv)
• Tocharian B: klaiññe
• Turkish: dişil (tr)
• Ukrainian: жіно́чий (uk) (žinóčyj)
• Vietnamese: nữ giới (vi)
• Volapük: vomik (vo)
• West Frisian: froulik (fy)
• Zazaki: maki (diq), mayki (diq)

belonging to females

• Armenian: կնոջ (knoǰ)
• Belarusian: жано́чы (žanóčy)
• Bulgarian: же́нски (žénski)
• Catalan: femení (ca), femenívol
• Cebuano: pangbabaye
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 女性的 (zh)

• Danish: kvinde- (da), feminin
• Finnish: naisten (fi)
• French: féminin (fr)
• Georgian: ქალური (kaluri)
• German: feminin (de), weiblich (de)
• Greek: γυναικείος (el) (gynaikeíos)
• Hungarian: női (hu)
• Indonesian: feminin (id)
• Italian: femminile (it)
• Japanese: 女性の (ja) (じょせいの, josei no)
• Korean: 여성의 (ko) (yeoseong-ui), 녀성의 (ko) (nyeoseong-ui) (North Korea)
• Latin: femininus (la)
• Latvian: sievišķīgs, sievišķs, sieviešu (lv)
• Macedonian: женски (ženski)
• Manx: bwoirrin
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: feminin

  Nynorsk: feminin

• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt)
• Russian: же́нский (ru) (žénskij)
• Slovak: ženský (sk), dievčenský
• Southern Altai: тижи (tiži)
• Spanish: femenil (es), de mujeres, femenino (es)
• Swedish: kvinnlig (sv), feminin (sv)
• Ukrainian: жіно́чий (uk) (žinóčyj)
• Volapük: vomik (vo)
• West Frisian: froulik (fy)
• Zazaki: maykek, nerimako

having the qualities associated with women

• Albanian: femëror (sq)
• Armenian: կանացի (hy) (kanacʻi)
• Aromanian: feamin
• Belarusian: жано́чы (žanóčy), жано́цкі (žanócki)
• Bulgarian: же́нствен (bg) (žénstven), же́нски (žénski)
• Catalan: femenívol
• Danish: kvindelig (da), feminin
• Esperanto: ina (eo)
• Finnish: naisellinen (fi), feminiininen (fi), naismainen (fi), napsu (fi)
• French: féminin (fr)
• Galician: feminino (gl)
• Georgian: ქალური (kaluri)
• German: feminin (de), weiblich (de)
• Greek: γυναικείος (el) (gynaikeíos)
• Hungarian: nőies (hu)
• Indonesian: feminin (id)
• Irish: baineann

  Middle Irish: banamail

• Italian: femminile (it)
• Japanese: 女性的な (ja) (じょせいてきな, joseiteki na), 女らしい (おんならしい, onnarashii), フェミニンな (ja) (feminin na)
• Korean: 나약하다 (ko) (nayakhada), 여자답다 (yeojadapda), 녀자답다 (nyeojadapda) (North Korea)
• Latin: fēminīnus (la), muliebris (la)
• Latvian: sievišķīgs, sievišķs, sieviešu (lv)
• Lithuanian: moteriškas (lt)
• Macedonian: женствен (ženstven), женски (ženski)
• Manx: benoil, bwoirrin
• Marathi: बायकी (bāykī)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: feminin

  Nynorsk: feminin

• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina)
• Persian: زنانه (fa) (zanâna)
• Polish: kobiecy (pl)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt)
• Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi: ਜ਼ਨਾਨਾ (zanānā)

  Shahmukhi: زَنانہ (zanānh)

• Romanian: feminin (ro), femeiesc (ro)
• Russian: же́нский (ru) (žénskij), же́нственный (ru) (žénstvennyj), феминный (ru) (feminnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: banail
• Slovak: ženský (sk)
• Southern Altai: тижи (tiži)
• Spanish: femenino (es)
• Swedish: kvinnlig (sv), feminin (sv)
• Turkish: feminen (tr), kadınsı (tr)
• Ukrainian: жіно́чий (uk) (žinóčyj), жіно́чний (žinóčnyj), жіно́цький (žinócʹkyj)
• Vietnamese: nữ tính (vi)
• Volapük: vomik (vo)
• West Frisian: froulik (fy)
• Zazaki: feminem

of the feminine grammatical gender distinction

• Albanian: femëror (sq)
• Arabic: مُؤَنَّث (ar) (muʔannaṯ)
• Armenian: իգական (hy) (igakan)
• Belarusian: жано́чы (žanóčy)
• Breton: benel (br)
• Bulgarian: же́нски (žénski)
• Cebuano: pangbabaye
• Chechen: зударийн род (zudariı̇n rod)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陰性／阴性 (zh) (yīnxìng)

• Czech: ženský (cs)
• Danish: hunkøns- (da)
• Dutch: vrouwelijk (nl)
• Finnish: feminiininen (fi)
• French: féminin (fr)
• Galician: feminino (gl)
• Georgian: მდედრობითი სქესი (mdedrobiti skesi), მდედრობითი (mdedrobiti)
• German: feminin (de), weiblich (de)
• Greek: θηλυκός (el) (thilykós)

  Ancient: θηλυκός (thēlukós)

• Hebrew: נקבה (he) f (nekeva)
• Hindi: स्त्रीलिंग (hi) (strīliṅg)
• Hungarian: nőnemű (hu)
• Icelandic: kvenkyns-
• Indonesian: feminin (id)
• Irish: baininscneach
• Italian: femminile (it)
• Japanese: 女性 (ja) (じょせい, josei)
• Khmer: ភេទស្រី (pheitsrəy)
• Korean: 여성(女性) (ko) (yeoseong), 녀성(女性) (ko) (nyeoseong) (North Korea)
• Latin: fēminīnus (la)
• Latvian: sieviešu (lv), sieviešu dzimtes
• Lithuanian: moteriškos giminės (genitive), moteriškas (lt)
• Macedonian: женски (ženski)
• Maltese: femminili (mt) f
• Manx: bwoirrin
• Marathi: स्त्रीलिंगी (strīliṅgī)
• Middle Persian: [script needed] (m'tk')
• Neapolitan: femminile
• Norwegian: hunkjønn (no)

  Bokmål: feminin

  Nynorsk: feminin

• Occitan: femenin (oc)
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina)
• Polish: żeński (pl)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt)
• Punjabi: زَنانہ (zanānh), ਇਸਤਰੀਲਿੰਗ (isatrīliṅg)
• Russian: же́нский (ru) (žénskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: boireann
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: жѐнскӣ

  Roman: žènskī (sh)

• Slovak: ženský (sk)
• Slovene: ženski (sl)
• Sorbian:

  Upper Sorbian: žónski ród

• Southern Altai: тижи (tiži)
• Spanish: femenino (es)
• Swedish: feminin (sv)
• Telugu: స్త్రీలింగము (te) (strīliṅgamu)
• Turkish: dişil (tr)
• Ukrainian: жіно́чий (uk) (žinóčyj)
• Urdu: مُؤَنَّث (muannas)
• Vietnamese: giống cái (vi)
• Volapük: vomik (vo)
• Welsh: benywaidd (cy)
• Yiddish: פֿעמינין (feminin)
• Zazaki: mayki (diq), mari

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} נִקְבִּי (nikbí)
• Marathi: ^{(please verify)} रत्रीविषयक (ratrīviṣyak)
• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} banail, ^{(please verify)} boireannach, ^{(please verify)} màlda

Noun

feminine (plural feminines)

1. That which is feminine.
2. (rare, possibly obsolete) A woman.
   • 1589, Richard Hakluyt, The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, […], London: […] George Bishop and Ralph Newberie, deputies to Christopher Barker, […], →OCLC:

     They guide the feminines toward the Pallace.

4. (grammar) The feminine gender.
5. (grammar) A word of the feminine gender.
   • 1860, Robert Gordon Latham FRS, An Elementary English Grammar: For the Use of Schools‎^[1], →OCLC, page 82:

     These changes being understood, it is easy to see how inaccurate it is to talk of she being the feminine, and they being the plural, of he. The different words belong to dif­fer­ent systems, and are no more the masculines and feminines of one another, than (to use a well-known illustration) puss is the vocative case of cat.

Translations

that which is feminine

• Dutch: vrouwelijke (nl) n
• Greek: θηλυκό (el) n (thilykó)
• Latvian: sievišķīgais

woman — see woman

(grammar)

• Arabic: مُؤَنَّث (ar) m (muʔannaṯ)
• Belarusian: жано́чы род m (žanóčy rod)
• Breton: benel (br)
• Bulgarian: же́нски род m (žénski rod)
• Burmese: ဣတ္ထိလိင် (my) (ithti.ling)
• Catalan: femení (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陰性／阴性 (zh) (yīnxìng)

• Czech: ženský rod m
• Danish: femininum (da) m or c
• Esperanto: ingenro, femineno
• Finnish: feminiini (fi)
• French: féminin (fr) m
• German: Femininum (de) n
• Greek: θηλυκό (el) n (thilykó)
• Hindi: स्त्रीलिंग (hi) m (strīliṅg)
• Hungarian: nőnem (hu)
• Irish: baininscne f
• Italian: femminile (it) m
• Japanese: 女性 (ja) (じょせい, josei)
• Khmer: ឥត្ថីលិង្គ (ət'tʰəj-ləŋ)
• Korean: 여성 (ko) (yeoseong)
• Latvian: sieviešu dzimte f
• Lithuanian: moteriškoji giminė (lt) f
• Marathi: स्त्रीलिंग n (strīliṅga)
• Occitan: femenin (oc) m
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) f (ẍëźina)
• Persian: مؤنث (fa) (mo'annas)
• Polish: rodzaj żeński (pl) m
• Portuguese: feminino (pt) m
• Russian: же́нский род (ru) m (žénskij rod)
• Sanskrit: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (sa) (strīliṅga)
• Slovak: ženský rod m
• Spanish: femenino (es) m
• Swedish: femininum (sv) n
• Tamil: பெண்பால் (ta) (peṇpāl)
• Turkish: dişil (tr)
• Ukrainian: жіно́чий рід (uk) m (žinóčyj rid)
• Vietnamese: giống cái (vi)
• West Frisian: froulik (fy)

a word of the feminine gender

• Hungarian: nőnemű alak
• Slovak: slovo ženského rodu

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} féminin (fr) m (2)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} femminile (it)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 女性 (ja) (じょせい, josei) (1,2)
• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} banail, ^{(please verify)} boireann, ^{(please verify)} màlda

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

feminine

1. inflection of feminin:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fe.miˈni.ne/
• Rhymes: -ine
• Hyphenation: fe‧mi‧nì‧ne

Adjective

feminine

1. feminine plural of feminino

Latin

Etymology 1

From fēminīnus (“feminine”) +‎ -ē.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /feː.miˈniː.neː/, [feːmɪˈniːneː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /fe.miˈni.ne/, [femiˈniːne]

Adverb

fēminīnē (comparative fēminīnius, superlative fēminīnissimē)

1. femininely, womanly

Related terms

• fēmella
• fēmellārius
• fēmina
• fēminātus
• fēmineus
• fēminīnus
• fēminō

 

Etymology 2

Inflected form of fēminīnus (“feminine”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /feː.miˈniː.ne/, [feːmɪˈniːnɛ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /fe.miˈni.ne/, [femiˈniːne]

Adjective

fēminīne

1. vocative masculine singular of fēminīnus

References

• “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.

Middle English

Adjective

feminine

1. Alternative form of femynyne

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

feminine

1. definite singular of feminin
2. plural of feminin

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

feminine

1. definite singular of feminin
2. plural of feminin

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /femiˈnine/

Adjective

feminine

1. feminine/neuter plural nominative/accusative of feminin

Swedish

Adjective

feminine

1. definite natural masculine singular of feminin