First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1feminine
adjective fem·i·nine \ˈfe-mə-nən\
: of, relating to, or suited to women or girls
grammar in some languages : of or belonging to the class of words (called a gender) that ordinarily includes most of the words referring to females
Full Definition of FEMININE
1
: female 1a(1)
2
: characteristic of or appropriate or unique to women <feminine beauty> <a feminine perspective>
3
: of, relating to, or constituting the gender that ordinarily includes most words or grammatical forms referring to females <a feminine noun>
4
a : being an unstressed and usually hypermetric final syllable <a feminine ending> b of rhyme : having an unstressed final syllable c : having the final chord occurring on a weak beat <music in feminine cadences>
— fem·i·nine·ly adverb
— fem·i·nine·ness \-nə(n)-nəs\ noun
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Origin of FEMININE
Middle English, from Anglo-French feminin, from Latin femininus, from femina woman; akin to Old English delu nipple, Latin filius son, felix, fetus, & fecundus fruitful, felare to suck, Greek thēlē nipple
Other Biology Terms
2feminine
noun
grammar in some languages : a word or form of the feminine gender
Full Definition of FEMININE
1
a : a noun, pronoun, adjective, or inflectional form or class of the feminine gender b : the feminine gender
2
: the embodiment or conception of a timeless or idealized feminine nature
See feminine defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of FEMININE
15th century
FEMININE[1] Defined for Kids
feminine
adjective fem·i·nine \ˈfe-mə-nən\
Definition of FEMININE for Kids
1
: of the female sex
2
: characteristic of or relating to women <a feminine style>
Medical Dictionary
feminine
adjective fem·i·nine \ˈfem-ə-nən\
Learn More About FEMININE
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Next Word in the Dictionary: feminine cadencePrevious Word in the Dictionary: feminieAll Words Near: feminine
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