masculine
/ˈmæskjələn/adjective, noun
masculine is spelled M-A-S-C-U-L-I-N-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, masculine means “Of or pertaining to the male gender” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in masculine?
| Letters | 9: M-A-S-C-U-L-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.1 times per million words; the 11,015th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is masculine?
Masculine appears 5.1 times per million words in written English, the 11,015th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce masculine?
- UK /ˈmæskjʊlɪn/
- UK /ˈmæskjələn/
- US /ˈmæskjələn/
Masculine has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-masculine.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of masculine
- more masculine comparative
- most masculine superlative
- m.
- m
- masculines plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does masculine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to the male gender.
- 2
Of or pertaining to the male sex; biologically male, not female.
- 3
Belonging to males; typically used by males.
“John”, “Paul”, and “Jake” are masculine names.
- 4
Having the qualities stereotypically associated with men: virile, aggressive, not effeminate; manly.
- 5
Being of the masculine class or grammatical gender, and inflected in that manner.
The noun Student is masculine in German.
- 6
Being inflected in agreement with a masculine noun.
German uses the masculine form of the definite article, der, with Student.
- 7
Having the vowel harmony of a back vowel.
- 8
Following or ending on a stressed syllable.
Masculine caesura, masculine catalexis, masculine ending, masculine rhyme.
noun
- 1
The masculine gender.
- 2
A word of the masculine gender.
- 3
That which is masculine.
- 4
obsoleterareA man.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate masculine?
Wiktionary records 3 abbreviations of masculine: m, m., masc..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Masculine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | masculin |
| German | männlich , maskulin , Maskulinum, maskulines Genus, männliches Geschlecht |
| Portuguese | macho , homem , masculino |
| Spanish | masculino , varonil, viril, macho |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does masculine come from?
From Middle English masculyne, masculyn, from Old French masculin, from Latin masculīnus, diminutive of masculus (“male, manly”), itself a diminutive of mās (“male”). Displaced native Old English werlīċ (literally “manly”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).