feminine

See also féminine

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Old French feminin, from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂ (“who sucks”). Related to fetus, feminism, filial, fellatio.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfɛmɪnɪn/, /ˈfɛmənɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

feminine (comparative more feminine, superlative most feminine)

1. Of the female sex; biologically female, not male, womanly.
2. Belonging to females; appropriated to, or used by, females.

   Mary, Elizabeth, and Edith are feminine names.

3. Having the qualities associated with a woman or the female gender; suitable to, or characteristic of, a woman; nurturing; not masculine or aggressive.

   Her heavenly form Angelic, but more soft and feminine — John Milton

   Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace — Thomas Babington Macaulay

   Ninus being esteemed no man of war at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy — Sir Walter Raleigh

4. (grammar) Grammatical gender distinction in languages that describes nouns including those pertaining to females and objects that are assigned the feminine gender.

Synonyms

• (of the female sex): female, womanly
• (having qualities of female gender): caring, ladylike, nurturing

Antonyms

• (of the female sex): male, manly
• (having qualities of female gender): butch, masculine
• (grammar): masculine

Derived terms

• femininely
• feminineness
• feminine rhyme (prosody)
• femininity
• feminize

Translations

having the qualities associated with a woman

• Albanian: femëror (sq)
• Armenian: կանացի (hy) (kanac'i)
• Aromanian: feamin (rup)
• Bulgarian: женствен (bg) (ženstven)
• Danish: kvindelig (da), feminin (da)
• Esperanto: ina (eo)
• Finnish: naisellinen (fi)
• French: féminin (fr)
• Galician: feminino (gl)
• German: feminin (de), weiblich (de)
• Greek: γυναικείος (el) (gynaikeíos) m
• Hungarian: nőies (hu)
• Italian: femminile (it)
• Japanese: 女性的な (ja) (joseitekina), 女らしい (おんならしい, onnarashii)

• Korean: 나약한 (ko) (nayakan)
• Latin: fēminīnus (la)
• Manx: benoil (gv)
• Marathi: बायकी (baayaki)
• Old Irish: banamail
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt) m, feminina (pt) f
• Romanian: feminin (ro), femeiesc (ro)
• Russian: женский (ru) (žénskij), женственный (ru) (žénstv'ennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: banail (gd)
• Spanish: femenino (es)
• Swedish: kvinnlig (sv), feminin (sv)
• Volapük: vomik (vo)
• West Frisian: froulik (fy)

of the female sex

• Armenian: իգական (hy) (igakan)
• Bulgarian: женски (bg) (ženski)
• Czech: ženský (cs)
• Danish: kvindelig (da)
• Esperanto: ina (eo)
• Finnish: naispuolinen (fi), naaras (fi)-, naaraspuolinen (fi)
• French: féminin (fr)
• German: feminin (de), weiblich (de)
• Greek: θηλυκός (el) (thilykós) m
• Hungarian: női (hu), nőstény (hu)
• Italian: femminile (it)

• Japanese: 女らしい (ja) (on'narashii), 女性らしい (ja) (joseirashii), 女の (ja) (on'na no)
• Korean: 여자다운 (ko) (yeosadaun)
• Marathi: स्त्रैण (straiN)
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt) m, feminina (pt) f
• Russian: женский (ru) (žénskij)
• Spanish: femenino (es)
• Swedish: kvinnlig (sv), feminin (sv)
• Volapük: vomik (vo)
• West Frisian: froulik (fy)

belonging to females

• Armenian: կնոջ (hy) (knoǰ)
• Bulgarian: женски (bg) (ženski)
• Danish: kvinde (da)-, feminin (da)
• Finnish: naisten (fi)
• French: féminin (fr)
• German: feminin (de), weiblich (de)
• Greek: γυναικείος (el) (gynaikeíos) m
• Hungarian: női (hu)
• Italian: femminile (it)

• Japanese: 女性の (ja) (josei no)
• Korean: 여성의 (ko) (yeoseong-ui)
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt) m, feminina (pt) f
• Russian: женский (ru) (žénskij)
• Spanish: femenil, de mujeres
• Swedish: kvinnlig (sv), feminin (sv)
• Volapük: vomik (vo)
• West Frisian: froulik (fy)

grammatical gender distinction

• Albanian: femëror (sq)
• Arabic: مُؤَنَّث (ar) (mu'annath)
• Armenian: իգական (hy) (igakan)
• Breton: benel
• Chechen: зударийн род
• Chinese: 陰性, 阴性 (yīnxìng)
• Czech: ženský (cs) m
• Danish: hunkøn (da)s-
• Finnish: feminiininen (fi)
• French: féminin (fr)
• Galician: feminino (gl)
• German: feminin (de), weiblich (de)
• Greek: θηλυκός (el) (thilykós) m
• Hebrew: נקבה (he) (nekeva) f
• Hungarian: nőnemű (hu)

• Italian: femminile (it)
• Japanese: 女性名詞 (ja) (joseimeishi), 女性 (ja) (josei)
• Korean: 여성 (ko) (yeoseong)
• Latin: fēminīnus (la)
• Marathi: स्त्रीलिंगी (streelingee)
• Norwegian: hunkjønn (no)
• Occitan: femenin (oc)
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt) m, feminina (pt) f
• Russian: женский (ru) (žénskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: boireann (gd)
• Spanish: femenino (es)
• Swedish: feminin (sv)
• Telugu: స్త్రీలింగము (te)
• Volapük: vomik (vo)

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 Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Hebrew: נִקְבִּי (nikbí) m
• Marathi: रत्रीविषयक (ratrīvishyak)
• Scottish Gaelic: banail, boireannach, màlda

Adverb

feminine (comparative more feminine, superlative most feminine)

1. Of or pertaining to woman.
2. Having the qualities of a woman.

Noun

feminine (plural feminines)

1. The female principle
2. (obsolete or colloquial) A woman.

   They guide the feminines toward the palace — Richard Hakluyt

3. (grammar) 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

Translations

female principle

• Dutch: vrouwelijke (nl) n

• Greek: θηλυκό (el) (thilykó) n

woman

• Bulgarian: жена (bg) (žena) f
• Danish: kvinde (da) c
• German: Frau (de) f, Weib (de) n
• Greek: θηλυκό (el) (thilykó) n
• Hungarian: fehérnép (hu)

• Italian: donna (it) f
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina) f
• Persian: زنانه (fa)
• Portuguese: mulher (pt) f
• Swedish: kvinna (sv) c

(grammar)

• Bulgarian: женски род (bg) (ženski rod) m
• Catalan: femení (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 陰性 (cmn), 阴性 (cmn) (yīnxìng)

• Danish: femininum (da) m or c
• Finnish: feminiini (fi)
• French: féminin (fr) m
• German: Femininum (de) n
• Greek: θηλυκό (γένος) n
• Hungarian: nőnem (hu)
• Italian: femminile (it) m

• Japanese: 女性 (ja) (じょせい, josei)
• Khmer: ឥត្ថីលិង្គ (km) (ət'tʰəj-ləŋ)
• Pashto: ښځينه (ps) (ẍëźina) f
• Persian: مؤنث (fa)
• Portuguese: feminino (pt) m
• Russian: женский род (ru) (žénskij rod) m
• Sanskrit: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (sa) (strīliṅga)
• Spanish: femenino (es) m
• Swedish: femininum (sv) n
• Tamil: பெண்பால் (ta) (peṇpāl)
• Vietnamese: giống cái (vi)
• West Frisian: froulik (fy)

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 Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mandarin: 阴性 (yīnxìng) (2)
• French: féminin m (2)
• Italian: femminile

• Japanese: 女性 (じょせい, josei)(1,2)
• Scottish Gaelic: banail, boireann, màlda

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German

Adjective

feminine

1. strong feminine singular nominative form of feminin.
2. strong feminine singular accusative form of feminin.
3. strong plural nominative form of feminin.
4. strong plural accusative form of feminin.
5. weak masculine singular nominative form of feminin.
6. weak feminine singular nominative form of feminin.
7. weak feminine singular accusative form of feminin.
8. weak neuter singular nominative form of feminin.
9. weak neuter singular accusative form of feminin.
10. mixed feminine singular nominative form of feminin.
11. mixed feminine singular accusative form of feminin.

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Latin

Etymology 1

From fēminīnus (“feminine”) +‎ -ē.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA: /feː.miˈniː.neː/

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) IPA: /feː.miˈniː.ne/

Adjective

fēminīne

1. vocative masculine singular of fēminīnus

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Romanian

Adjective

feminine

1. feminine pluralnominative form of feminin
2. feminine pluralaccusative form of feminin
3. neuter pluralnominative form of feminin
4. neuter pluralaccusative form of feminin

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Swedish

Adjective

feminine

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of feminin.