feminine

feminine — mid 14c., of the female sex, from O.Fr. femenin (12c.) feminine, female; with feminine qualities, effeminate, from L. femininus feminine (in the grammatical sense at first), from femina woman, female, lit. she who suckles, from root of felare to… …   Etymology dictionary

Feminine — 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; …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

feminine — ► ADJECTIVE 1) having qualities traditionally associated with women, especially delicacy and prettiness. 2) female. 3) Grammar referring to a gender of nouns and adjectives, conventionally regarded as female. ► NOUN (the feminine) ▪ the female… …   English terms dictionary

feminine — [fem′ə nin] adj. [ME < OFr < L femininus < femina, woman] 1. female; of women or girls 2. having qualities regarded as characteristic of women and girls, as gentleness, weakness, delicacy, or modesty 3. suitable to or characteristic of a …   English World dictionary

Feminine — Fem i*nine, n. 1. A woman. [Obs. or Colloq.] [1913 Webster] They guide the feminines toward the palace. Hakluyt. [1913 Webster] 2. (Gram.) Any one of those words which are the appellations of females, or which have the terminations usually found… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

feminine — *female, womanly, womanish, ladylike, womanlike, effeminate Antonyms: masculine Contrasted words: *male, manly, mannish, virile, manlike, manful …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

féminine — ● féminin, féminine adjectif (latin femininus, de femina, femme) Qui est propre à la femme : Le charme féminin. Se dit d un groupe composé de femmes : Équipe féminine. Qui a rapport aux femmes : Vêtements féminins. Qui est destiné, réservé aux… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

feminine — 01. Her father thought that women who were strong and confident were not really [feminine]. 02. The traditional [feminine] role is that of a housewife and mother. 03. Our apartment has a very [feminine] look with its soft colors, and pictures of… …   Grammatical examples in English

feminine — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French feminin, from Latin femininus, from femina woman; akin to Old English delu nipple, Latin filius son, felix, fetus, & fecundus fruitful, felare to suck, Greek thēlē nipple Date: 14th… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

feminine — [[t]fe̱mɪnɪn[/t]] 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n Feminine qualities and things relate to or are considered typical of women, in contrast to men. ...male leaders worrying about their women abandoning traditional feminine roles. ...a manufactured ideal of… …   English dictionary

Féminine — Féminité La féminité est l’ensemble des caractères morphologiques psychologiques et comportementaux propres aux femmes. Ils sont biologiquement liés au sexe et fortement influencés, voire conditionnés par l’environnement socioculturel. Ils sont… …   Wikipédia en Français