effeminate means of a boy or man, exhibiting behavior or mannerisms considered typical of a woman or unmasculine. It carries an Arena rating of 1388, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, effeminate ranks #3,361 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #7,102 of 14,448 for Funniest Words, #7,152 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,156 of 14,410 for Most Ponderous Words.
effeminate is pronounced /ɪˈfɛmɪnət/.
Why “effeminate” is a great word
Of a man or boy, having or showing characteristics or mannerisms traditionally associated with women and often considered unmanly. From Middle English effeminat, from Latin effēminātus, past participle of effēminō ("to make a woman of"), from fēmina ("woman"), first attested in English in the late 14th century. Unlike "epicene," which suggests a serene androgyny, or "unmanly," a broad charge of inadequacy, "effeminate" specifically inscribes a transgression of gendered performance. It is the perceived softness of a wrist, the cultivated lilt of a laugh, the deliberate grace in a step—a quiet catalog of gestures made to bear the weight of cultural anxiety, its survival across centuries revealing how cultures guard the architecture of masculinity, as though womanliness were something that might seep in and weaken the stone.
Etymology
From Middle English effeminat, effemynat, from Latin effēminātus, past participle of effēminō, from fēmina (“woman”).
adj
- Of a boy or man, exhibiting behavior or mannerisms considered typical of a woman or unmasculine.“An effeminate and unmanly foppery.”
- Womanly; tender, affectionate, caring.“Gentle, kind, effeminate remorse.”
noun
- An effeminate person.“The effeminates are males with obviously recognizable traits and mannerisms; […]”
verb
- To make womanly; to unman.“the studie of sciences doth more weaken and effeminate mens minds, than corroborate and adapt them to warre.”
- To become womanly.
Words closest in meaning
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