effeminate

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin effēminātus, past participle of effēminō, from fēmina (“woman”).

Pronunciation

• (adjective): IPA^(key): /ɪˈfɛmɪnət/
• (verb): IPA^(key): /ɪˈfɛmɪneɪt/

Adjective

effeminate (comparative more effeminate, superlative most effeminate)

1. (often derogatory, of a man or boy) Exhibiting behaviour or mannerisms considered typical of a female; unmasculine.
   • (Can we date this quote by Bishop Hurd and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     An effeminate and unmanly foppery.

2. (obsolete) Womanly; tender, affectionate, caring.
   • c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene vii]:

     Gentle, kind, effeminate remorse.

Synonyms

• camp, swish, epicene, effete, unmanly

Antonyms

• uneffeminate, noneffeminate, non-effeminate

Translations

of a man, behaving like a woman

• Arabic: مُخَنَّث (muḵannaṯ)
• Armenian: կնաբարո (hy) (knabaro), ղզիկ (hy) (ġzik)
• Aromanian: muljirashcu
• Bulgarian: женствен (bg) (ženstven)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 乸型 (naa² jing⁴)

  Mandarin: 柔弱 (zh) (róuruò), 娘娘腔 (zh) (iángniángqiāng), 女人氣／女人气 (zh), 女人气 (zh) (nǚrénqì)

• Czech: zženštilý
• Danish: kvindagtig
• Dutch: verwijfd (nl)
• Finnish: naismainen (fi), epämiehekäs (fi), feminiininen (fi)
• French: efféminé (fr) m, efféminée (fr) f
• Galician: afeminado (gl) m
• German: weibisch (de), tuntig, effeminiert, verweichlicht (de), verweiblicht (de)
• Greek: θηλυπρεπής (el) m (thilyprepís)

  Ancient: γυναικώδης (gunaikṓdēs)

• Indonesian: banci (id), kemayu (id)
• Irish: baineanda, baineann, piteogach, piteánta
• Italian: effemminato
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 女々しい (memeshii)
• Korean: 유약 (ko) (yuyak)
• Kurdish: ,
• Latin: ēvirātus, perfluus
• Macedonian: женствен (ženstven)
• Manx: dendeaysagh, soailtagh, bwoirrin, benoil
• Norwegian: kvinneaktig, umandig, jentete, jenteaktig, kvinnelig (no), femi, bløtaktig

  Bokmål: feminin, fjollete

  Nynorsk: feminin

• Persian: امرد (fa) (amard)
• Polish: zniewieściały (pl), zbabiały, wydelikacony
• Portuguese: afeminado (pt), efeminado (pt), mulheril (pt), adamado m, amulherado m, afemeado m, amaricado m, dengoso (pt) m, inviril, mulherengo (pt) m, amulherengado m, paneleiro (pt) m, apaneleirado m, maricas (pt), mariconço m, bicha (pt), abichanado m, larilas (pt), panilas, enerve
• Romanian: afemeiat (ro)
• Russian: женоподо́бный (ru) (ženopodóbnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: boireannta
• Slovak: zoženštený
• Spanish: afeminado (es), amanerado (es), amujerado m, ahembrado m, adamado (es) m, mujeril (es) m, amariconado (es)
• Swedish: fjollig (sv)
• Ukrainian: жонови́дий (žonovýdyj), жінкуватий m (žinkuvatyj)
• Uzbek: xotinchalish (uz), xezalak
• Welsh: merchetaidd (cy)

Verb

1. (transitive, archaic) To make womanly; to unman.
   • Template:RQ:Flr Mntgn 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.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Locke and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     It will not corrupt or effeminate children's minds.

2. (intransitive) To become womanly.

Noun

effeminate (plural effeminates)

1. An effeminate person.
   • 1976, Psychiatry (volumes 39-40, page 246)

     The effeminates are males with obviously recognizable traits and mannerisms; […]

Related terms

• effeminacy

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Italian

Adjective

effeminate

1. feminine plural of effeminato

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Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) effēmināte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of effēminō

References

• “effeminate”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “effeminate”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• effeminate in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.