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masculine

 - 5 dictionary results

mas⋅cu⋅line

  [mas-kyuh-lin]
Use masculine in a Sentence
–adjective
1. pertaining to or characteristic of a man or men: masculine attire.
2. having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength and boldness.
3. Grammar. noting or pertaining to the gender of Latin, Greek, German, French, Spanish, Hebrew, etc., which has among its members most nouns referring to males, as well as other nouns, as Spanish dedo, “finger,” German Bleistift, “pencil.”
4. (of a woman) mannish.
–noun Grammar.
5. the masculine gender.
6. a noun or other element in or marking that gender.
Origin:
1300–50; ME masculin < L masculīnus, equiv. to mascul(us) male (mās male + -culus -cule 1 ) + -īnus -ine 1

Related forms:
mas⋅cu⋅line⋅ly, adverb
mas⋅cu⋅lin⋅i⋅ty, mas⋅cu⋅line⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. manly. See male.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mas·cu·line   (mās'kyə-lĭn)   
adj.  

  1. Of or relating to men or boys; male.

  2. Suggestive or characteristic of a man; mannish. See Synonyms at male.

  3. Grammar Relating or belonging to the gender of words or forms that refer chiefly to males or to things grammatically classified as male.

  4. Music Ending on an accented beat: a masculine cadence.

n.  

  1. Grammar

    1. The masculine gender.

    2. A word or word form of the masculine gender.

  2. A male person.


[Middle English masculin, from Old French, from Latin masculīnus, from masculus, male, diminutive of mās.]
mas'cu·line·ly adv., mas'cu·line·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

masculine 
c.1374, "belonging to the male sex," from O.Fr. masculin "of the male sex," from L. masculinus "male, of masculine gender," from masculus, dim. of mas (gen. maris) "male person, male," of unknown origin. Grammatical sense first recorded c.1380. Meaning "having the appropriate qualities of the male sex, manly, virile, powerful" is first attested 1629.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mas·cu·line
Pronunciation: 'mas-ky&-l&n
Function: adjective
1 : MALE 1
2 : having the qualities distinctive of or appropriate to a male
3 : having a mannish bearing or quality
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

masculine mas·cu·line (mās'kyə-lĭn)
n.

  1. Of or relating to men or boys; male.

  2. Suggestive or characteristic of a man.

mas'cu·line·ness n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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