effeminate

English

Etymology

From Latin effēminātus, past participle of effēminō, from fēmina (“woman”).

Pronunciation

(adjective): IPA^(key): /ɪˈfɛmɪnət/
(verb): IPA^(key): /ɪˈfɛmɪneɪt/

Adjective

effeminate (comparative more effeminate, superlative most effeminate)

(often derogatory, of a man or boy) Exhibiting behaviour or mannerisms considered typical of a female; unmasculine.
- Bishop Hurd
  An effeminate and unmanly foppery.
(obsolete) womanly; tender, affectionate, caring.
- Shakespeare
  Gentle, kind, effeminate remorse.

Synonyms

camp, swish, epicene, effete, unmanly

Antonyms

uneffeminate, noneffeminate, non-effeminate

Translations

of a man, behaving like a woman

Aromanian: muljirashcu
Bulgarian: женствен (bg) (ženstven)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 柔弱 (zh) (róuruò), 娘娘腔 (zh) (iángniángqiāng), 女人氣 (zh), 女人气 (zh) (nǚrénqì)
Czech: zženštilý
Danish: kvindagtig
Dutch: verwijfd (nl)
Finnish: naismainen (fi), epämiehekäs (fi), feminiininen (fi)
French: efféminé (fr) m, efféminée (fr) f
Galician: afeminado (gl) m
German: weibisch (de), tuntig
Greek: θηλυπρεπής (el) m (thilyprepís)
Indonesian: banci (id), kemayu (id)
Irish: baineanda, baineann, piteogach, piteánta
Italian: effemminato
Japanese: 女々しい (memeshii)

Latin: perfluus
Macedonian: женствен (ženstven)
Manx: dendeaysagh, soailtagh, bwoirrin, benoil
Norwegian:
Bokmål: feminin

Nynorsk: feminin
Polish: zniewieściały (pl)
Portuguese: afeminado (pt), efeminado (pt)
Romanian: afemeiat (ro)
Russian: женоподо́бный (ru) (ženopodóbnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: boireannta
Slovak: zoženštený
Spanish: afeminado (es), amanerado (es)
Swedish: fjollig (sv)
Uzbek: xotinchalish (uz), xezalak
Welsh: merchetaidd (cy)

Verb

effeminate (third-person singular simple present effeminates, present participle effeminating, simple past and past participle effeminated)

(archaic) To make womanly; to unman.
- 1603, John Florio, transl.; Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes, […], printed at London: […] Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
  , Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.134:
  the studie of sciences doth more weaken and effeminate mens minds, than corroborate and adapt them to warre.
- John Locke
  It will not corrupt or effeminate children's minds.

Related terms

effeminacy

Italian

Adjective

effeminate

feminine plural of effeminato

Latin

Verb

effēmināte

second-person plural present active imperative of effēminō

References

effeminate in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
effeminate in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
effeminate in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

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