Definitions for: Feminine


[n] a gender that refers chiefly (but not exclusively) to females or to objects classified as female
[adj] associated with women and not with men; "feminine intuition"
[adj] befitting or characteristic of a woman especially a mature woman; "womanly virtues of gentleness and compassion"
[adj] of grammatical gender
[adj] (music or poetry) ending on an unaccented beat or syllable; "a feminine ending"



Webster (1913) Definition: Fem"i*nine, a. [L. femininus, fr. femina woman; prob.
akin to L. fetus, or to Gr. qh^sqai to suck, qh^sai to
suckle, Skr. dh[=a] to suck; cf. AS. f[=ae]mme woman, maid:
cf. F. f['e]minin. See Fetus.]
1. Of or pertaining to a woman, or to women; characteristic
of a woman; womanish; womanly.

Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine
ease and grace. --Macaulay.

2. Having the qualities of a woman; becoming or appropriate
to the female sex; as, in a good sense, modest, graceful,
affectionate, confiding; or, in a bad sense, weak,
nerveless, timid, pleasure-loving, effeminate.

Her heavenly form Angelic, but more soft and
feminine. --Milton.

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


Fem"i*nine, n.
1. A woman. [Obs. or Colloq.]

They guide the feminines toward the palace.
--Hakluyt.

2. (Gram.) 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.

Synonyms: distaff, fair(a), female, maidenlike, maidenly, matronly, powder-puff, unaccented, unstressed, womanlike, womanly

Antonyms: masculine, neuter, unwomanly

See Also: feminine, gender, grammatical gender

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