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fem·i·nine

(fĕmə-nĭn)

adj.

1. Of or relating to women or girls.

2. Characterized by or possessing qualities traditionally attributed to women, such as demureness.

3. Effeminate; womanish.

4. Grammar Relating or belonging to the gender of words or forms that refer chiefly to females or to things grammatically classified as female.

n.
Grammar

1. The feminine gender.

2. A word or form belonging to the feminine gender.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina, woman; see dhē(i)- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

femi·nine·ly adv.

femi·nine·ness, fem′i·nini·ty (-nĭnĭ-tē) n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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