epicene
Use Epicene in a sentence
ɪˌsin adjective
1.
belonging to, or partaking of the characteristics of, both sexes: Fashions in clothing are becoming increasingly epicene.
2.
flaccid; feeble; weak: an epicene style of writing.
3.
effeminate; unmasculine.
4.
(of Greek and Latin nouns) of the same gender class regardless of the sex of the being referred to, as Latin vulpēs “fox or vixen” is always grammatically feminine.
5.
Grammar. (of a noun or pronoun) capable of referring to either sex, as attendant, chairperson, Kim, one, or they; having common gender.
noun
6.
a person or thing that is epicene.
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Epicene
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Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin epicoenus of both genders < Greek epíkoinos common to many, equivalent to epi- epi- + koinós common
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin epicoenus of both genders < Greek epíkoinos common to many, equivalent to epi- epi- + koinós common
Related forms
ep·i·cen·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To epicene
Collins
World English Dictionary
epicene (ˈɛpɪˌsiːn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | having the characteristics of both sexes; hermaphroditic |
| 2. | of neither sex; sexless |
| 3. | effeminate |
| 4. | grammar |
| a. denoting a noun that may refer to a male or a female, such as teacher as opposed to businessman or shepherd | |
| b. (in Latin, Greek, etc) denoting a noun that retains the same grammatical gender regardless of the sex of the referent | |
| —n | |
| 5. | an epicene person or creature |
| 6. | an epicene noun |
| [C15: from Latin epicoenus of both genders, from Greek epikoinos common to many, from koinos common] | |
| epi'cenism | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
epicene
mid-15c., originally a grammatical term for nouns that may denote either gender, from L. epicoenus "common," from Gk. epikoinos, from epi- "on" + koinos "common." Extended sense of "characteristic of both sexes" first recorded in English c.1600; that of "effeminate" 1630s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
But his weirdly epicene intruder is little more than a colorful buffoon, a bit of comic relief, in the proceedings.
He is a master of moving the dialogue along, an epicene flirt with a mustache who wears cashmere jackets and pastel socks.
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