femina

See also: fémina

Esperanto

Etymology

From femino (“woman”) +‎ -a.

Pronunciation
  • Audio(file)
  • IPA(key): /feˈmina/
  • Hyphenation: fe‧min‧a
  • Rhymes: -ina

Adjective

femina (accusative singular feminan, plural feminaj, accusative plural feminajn)

  1. feminine (of women), women's
    Synonym: virina

Usage notes

Relatively uncommon; the synonym virina is generally used instead.

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from English feminine, French féminin, Italian femminile, Spanish femenino, from Latin fēminīnus from fēmina (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂ (“who sucks”).

Adjective

femina

  1. female, feminine

Antonyms

Derived terms
  • femino (“female”)
  • feminala (“female”)
  • feminalo (“feminine gender”)
  • feminismo (“feminism”)

Interlingua

Noun

femina (plural feminas)

  1. woman

Latin

Etymology 1

From Proto-Italic *fēmanā, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-éh₂ (“(the one) nursing, breastfeeding”), the feminine mediopassive participle of *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suck, suckle”).[1] Related to fīlius, fellō, fētus.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈfeː.mi.na/, [ˈfeː.mɪ.na]
  • (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈfe.mi.na/, [ˈfeː.mi.na]
  • Audio (Classical)(file)

Noun

fēmina f (genitive fēminae); first declension

  1. woman
    • 19 BCE, Publius Vergilius Maro, Aeneid, I, 361-364.
      conveniunt, quibus aut odium crudele tyranni
      aut metus acer erat; navis, quae forte paratae,
      corripiunt, onerantque auro: portantur avari
      Pygmalionis opes pelago; dux femina facti.
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
  2. wife
  3. (of animals) female
    • 45 BCE, Marcus Tullius Cicero, De natura deorum, II, 128.
      nam primum aliae mares aliae feminae sunt, quod perpetuitatis causa machinata natura est, deinde partes corporis et ad procreandum et ad concipiendum aptissimae, et in mari et in femina commiscendorum corporum mirae libidines, cum autem in locis semen insedit rapit omnem fere cibum ad sese eoque saeptum fingit animal;
      (please add an English translation of this quote)
  4. (grammar) the feminine gender
Inflection

First declension.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative fēmina fēminae
Genitive fēminae fēminārum
Dative fēminae fēminīs
Accusative fēminam fēminās
Ablative fēminā fēminīs
Vocative fēmina fēminae
Synonyms
  • (woman): mulier
  • (wife): uxor
  • (grammar): genus femininum
Derived terms
Descendants

Etymology 2

See femur.

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈfe.mi.na/, [ˈfɛ.mɪ.na]

Noun

femina

  1. nominative plural of femur
  2. accusative plural of femur
  3. vocative plural of femur

References
  1. De Vaan, Michiel (2008), “fēmina”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 210
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