fìmmina

Sicilian

Alternative forms

• fimmina (eye dialect)

Etymology

From Latin fēmina, from Proto-Italic *fēmanā, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁m̥h₁néh₂ (“(the one) nursing, breastfeeding”), the feminine mediopassive participle of *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suck, suckle”). Cognate with Portuguese fêmea, Italian femmina, Spanish hembra, French femme.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfim.mi.na/ (Standard)
• Hyphenation: fìm‧mi‧na

Noun

fìmmina f (plural fìmmini)

1. (biology) One of the female (feminine) sex or gender.
   1. (zoology) An animal of the sex that produces eggs.
   2. (botany) A plant which produces only that kind of reproductive organ capable of developing into fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate plant.
   3. A bacterium which lacks the F factor, and is able to receive DNA from another bacterium which has that factor.
2. A human of the feminine sex or gender.

   Hyponyms: picciriḍḍa, carusa, signura

   Antonyms: picciriḍḍu, carusu, omu, òminu, màsculu

   1. (now possibly offensive in certain contexts) A female spouse or other person with whom one shares a domestic, romantic or sexual bond; girlfriend, wife

      Synonyms: zita, mugghieri

3. A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.
4. (card games) queen of the Sicilian playing cards

   Synonym: donna

Usage notes

• In Sicilian this term is used to refer both to the females of homo sapiens and to those of animals or plants.
• The word donna (also ronna) is used, etymologically, to refer to women who own possessions and assets, like the male counterpart don (or ron).

Derived terms

• ffimminatu
• fimminara
• fimminaru
• fimminazza
• fimmineḍḍa
• fimminili
• fimminilità
• fimminilizzazziuni
• fimmininu
• fimminista
• fimminuni
• fimminuzza
• fimminìsimu
• fimmìniu

 

Related terms

• donna
• figghia
• jiri a fìmmini
• mamma
• mamma granni
• matri
• nanna
• pruzzìa
• sbinnanna
• soru
• zìa

 

Descendants

• → Italian: fèmmina

See also

• carusa
• gna
• jarrusu
• picciotta
• picciriḍḍa
• signura
• signurina
• signurineḍḍa