# feminine

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈfɛmɪnɪn/ · frequency rank #8,144

## Definitions
1. Of or pertaining to the female gender.
2. Of or pertaining to the female sex; biologically female, not male.
3. Belonging to females; typically used by females.
4. Having the qualities stereotypically associated with women: nurturing, not aggressive, sensual; womanly.
5. Of, pertaining or belonging to the female grammatical gender, in languages that have gender distinctions.
6. Of, pertaining or belonging to the female grammatical gender, in languages that have gender distinctions.
7. Having the vowel harmony of a front vowel.
8. Following or ending on an unstressed syllable.

## Etymology
From Middle English feminine, femynyne, femynyn, from Old French feminin, feminine, from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-eh₂ (“(the one) nursing, breastfeeding”). Related to fetus, feminism, filial, fellatio.

## Easily confused with
- **feminist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feminine-vs-feminist)
- **feminism** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feminine-vs-feminism)

## Common misspellings (11)
`efminine`, `feimnine`, `femiinne`, `feminien`, `femininne`, `feminnie`, `feminnine`, `femminine`, `femniine`, `ffeminine`, `fmeinine`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/feminine