masculine

masculine
male, masculine, manly
1. Both male and masculine entered the language from Old French in the 14c and rapidly took on distinct roles. Male is used as an adjective and noun, contrasting with the unrelated word female, to designate the sex of humans, animals, and plants that can beget offspring by insemination or fertilization. Masculine is used only of humans and has two additional meanings: (1) denoting characteristics or qualities associated with men, and (2) contrasted with feminine and neuter, denoting a class of grammatical gender. Both words also have technical meanings in various domains. In broad terms male is used principally to indicate the sex of a person, animal or plant, whereas masculine is used of characteristics (once, and to some extent still) regarded as characteristic of men, especially physical strength, vigour, competitive assertiveness, etc. Manly (13c, originally referring to humans generally but now only to men) also has this meaning but is more positive and complimentary than masculine. As a noun, male does not carry the unfavourable implications of female, but is still best restricted to uses relating to the animal world. See female, feminine.
2. Two 20c uses of male, both largely promoted by the feminist movement, are in the terms male chauvinist (first recorded in 1970), meaning ‘a man who is prejudiced against women’, and male menopause (1949), meaning ‘a crisis of potency, confidence, etc., said to afflict men in middle life’.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • masculine — mas cu*line (m[a^]s k[ u]*l[i^]n), a. [L. masculinus, fr. masculus male, manly, dim. of mas a male: cf. F. masculin. See {Male} masculine.] 1. Of the male sex; not female. [1913 Webster] Thy masculine children, that is to say, thy sons. Chaucer.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • masculine — (adj.) mid 14c., belonging to the male grammatical gender; late 14c., of men, male, from O.Fr. masculin of the male sex (12c.), from L. masculinus male, of masculine gender, from masculus male, masculine; worthy of a man, dim. of mas (gen. maris) …   Etymology dictionary

  • masculine — [mas′kyo͞o lin, mas′kyəlin] adj. [ME masculyn < OFr masculin < L masculinus < masculus, male < mas, male] 1. male; of men or boys 2. having qualities regarded as characteristic of men and boys, as strength, vigor, boldness, etc.;… …   English World dictionary

  • masculine — *male, virile, manful, manly, manlike, mannish Analogous words: *vigorous, energetic, lusty, strenuous: robust, *healthy, sound Antonyms: feminine Contrasted words: womanly, ladylike, womanlike, womanish, *female …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • masculine — ► ADJECTIVE 1) relating to men; male. 2) having the qualities or appearance traditionally associated with men. 3) Grammar referring to a gender of nouns and adjectives conventionally regarded as male. DERIVATIVES masculinity noun. ORIGIN from… …   English terms dictionary

  • masculine — 01. She has a very [masculine] voice; very deep for a woman. 02. Your brother looks very [masculine] in his new navy uniform. 03. As a 40 year old man who was unable to grow a beard, John s [masculinity] was constantly being questioned. 04. She… …   Grammatical examples in English

  • masculine — adj. VERBS ▪ be ADVERB ▪ extremely, fairly, very, etc. ▪ She has a very masculine face. ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • masculine — [[t]mæ̱skjʊlɪn[/t]] 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n Masculine qualities and things relate to or are considered typical of men, in contrast to women. ...masculine characteristics like a husky voice and facial hair... Perhaps some kind of masculine pride was… …   English dictionary

  • masculine — adjective 1 belonging to men, done by men, or considered to be typical of men: a masculine approach to the problem | traditionally masculine subjects such as physics | a dark, masculine face 2 if a woman s appearance or voice is masculine, it is… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • masculine — ● masculin, masculine adjectif (latin masculinus, de masculus, mâle) Qui appartient, qui a rapport au mâle, à l homme : Voix masculine. Métier masculin. Qui est composé d hommes : Équipe masculine. Se dit des noms qui appartiennent au masculin,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • masculine — I UK [ˈmæskjʊlɪn] / US [ˈmæskjəlɪn] adjective * 1) a) with qualities thought to be typical of men a masculine voice b) connected with men traditionally masculine roles 2) linguistics masculine nouns, pronouns, and adjectives have different forms… …   English dictionary

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