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
female — femaleness, n. /fee mayl/, n. 1. a person bearing two X chromosomes in the cell nuclei and normally having a vagina, a uterus and ovaries, and developing at puberty a relatively rounded body and enlarged breasts, and retaining a beardless face; a … Universalium
feminine — fem|i|nine [ˈfemının] adj [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: Latin femina woman ] 1.) having qualities that are considered to be typical of women, especially by being gentle, delicate, and pretty ▪ Dianne loved pretty feminine things. 2.)… … Dictionary of contemporary English
female — [14] The symmetry between female and male is a comparatively recent development. Female started as Latin fēmella, a diminutive form of fēmina ‘woman’ (whence English feminine [14]). This in turn was a derivative of Latin fēlāre ‘suck’, and so… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
female — [14] The symmetry between female and male is a comparatively recent development. Female started as Latin fēmella, a diminutive form of fēmina ‘woman’ (whence English feminine [14]). This in turn was a derivative of Latin fēlāre ‘suck’, and so… … Word origins
female rhyme — noun : feminine rhyme * * * female rhyme, = feminine rhyme. (Cf. ↑feminine rhyme) … Useful english dictionary
female — Synonyms and related words: distaff, female being, feminine, gentlewomanlike, girlish, gynecic, gynecoid, gynic, her, kittenish, ladylike, little girlish, maidenly, matronal, matronlike, matronly, muliebral, petticoat, she, womanish, womanlike,… … Moby Thesaurus
Female — Fe male, a. 1. Belonging to the sex which conceives and gives birth to young, or (in a wider sense) which produces ova; not male. [1913 Webster] As patient as the female dove When that her golden couplets are disclosed. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Female fern — Female Fe male, a. 1. Belonging to the sex which conceives and gives birth to young, or (in a wider sense) which produces ova; not male. [1913 Webster] As patient as the female dove When that her golden couplets are disclosed. Shak. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Female rhymes — Female Fe male, a. 1. Belonging to the sex which conceives and gives birth to young, or (in a wider sense) which produces ova; not male. [1913 Webster] As patient as the female dove When that her golden couplets are disclosed. Shak. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Female screw — Female Fe male, a. 1. Belonging to the sex which conceives and gives birth to young, or (in a wider sense) which produces ova; not male. [1913 Webster] As patient as the female dove When that her golden couplets are disclosed. Shak. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
