effeminate

English

Etymology

From Latin effēminātus, past participle of effēmināre.

Adjective

effeminate (comparative more effeminate, superlative most effeminate)

1. (of a man or boy) Having behaviour or mannerisms considered unmasculine or typical of a woman or girl; feminine.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ɛˈfɛmɪnət/, /ɪˈfɛmɪnət/

Usage notes

Use of this word is often derogatory.

Synonyms

• camp
• swish

Translations

of a man, behaving like a woman

Bulgarian: женствен (bg) Chinese: trad. and simpl. 柔弱的 (pinyin: róuruòde), trad. and simpl. 娘娘腔的 (pinyin: niángniángqiāngde), trad. 女人氣的, simpl. 女人气的 (pinyin: nǚrénqìde) Czech: zženštilý (cs) Dutch: verwijfd (nl) Finnish: naismainen (fi), epämiehekäs (fi) French: efféminé (fr) m., efféminée (fr) f. German: weibisch (de)

Italian: effemminato (it) Polish: zniewieściały (pl) m., zniewieściała (pl) f., zniewieściałe (pl) n. Russian: женоподобный (ru) (ženopodóbnyj) Scottish Gaelic: boireannta (gd) Slovak: zoženštený (sk) Spanish: afeminado (es) Welsh: merchetaidd (cy)

Verb

effeminate (third-person singular simple present effeminates, present participle effeminating, simple past and past participle effeminated)

1. (archaic) To make womanly; to unman.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Folio Society 2006, vol. 1 p. 134:

     the studie of sciences doth more weaken and effeminate mens minds, than corroborate and adapt them to warre.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ɛˈfɛmɪneɪt/

Related terms

• effeminacy

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Italian

Adjective

effeminate f.

1. Feminine plural form of effeminato

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Latin

Verb

effēmināte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of effēminō