unmanning

English

Etymology

From unman +‎ -ing.

Verb

unmanning

1. present participle and gerund of unman

Adjective

unmanning (comparative more unmanning, superlative most unmanning)

1. That destroys manly virtues or qualities; that renders effeminate or helpless.
   • 1978, Lawrence Durrell, Livia (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 1992, page 407:

     Blanford did not see quite how; but her sweet enthusiasm was so warming, and the tang of her kiss so unmanning that he found himself nodding agreement.

Noun

unmanning (plural unmannings)

1. The removal of manly qualities.
   • 2004, Michael Vannoy Adams, The Fantasy Principle: Psychoanalysis of the Imagination, page 106:

     Schreber's transformation into a woman begins internally, in terms of thoughts and sensations and nerves. Only then does it begin to manifest itself externally. In this respect, Schreber mentions two brief unmannings in the asylum.