Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Effeminate |
EffeminateAdjective1. Having unsuitable feminine qualities. 2. Characterized by excessive softness or self-indulgence; "an effeminate civilization". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "effeminate" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
Note: Effeminate \Ef*fem"i*nate\, transitive verb. [imperfect & past participle. Effeminated; Effeminating.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Multilingual Slang | English (nellie), Italian (checca). (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: EffeminateSynonyms: cissy (adj), emasculate (adj), epicene (adj), sissified (adj), sissy (adj), sissyish (adj), weak (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Cowardice | Adjective: coward, cowardly; fearful, shy; timid, timorous; skittish; poor-spirited, spiritless, soft, effeminate. |
Weakness | Soft, effeminate, feminate, womanly. |
Woman | Adjective: female, she-; feminine, womanly, ladylike, matronly, maidenly, wifely; womanish, effeminate, unmanly; gynecic, gynaecic. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Effeminate |
| English words defined with "effeminate": effeminacy, Effeminated, Effeminately, effeminateness, Effeminating, effeminize, Emolliate ♦ feminize ♦ Invirile ♦ Meacock, mollycoddle ♦ sissiness, Softling, Sybaritical ♦ unmanliness ♦ womanishness, womanize. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "effeminate": Adin ♦ Baptes, BULLY TRAP ♦ Lord Fanny ♦ Mother of the Gracchi ♦ nellie ♦ Omphale ♦ TWIDDLE POOP ♦ Vathek. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "effeminate": Womanize. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books |
|
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Edgar Quinet | An effeminate education weakens both the mind and the body. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | He who becomes effeminate becomes corrupt |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Effeminate" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 83.33% of the time. "Effeminate" is used about 36 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 83.33% | 30 | 63,341 |
| Noun (singular) | 11.11% | 4 | 175,879 |
| Lexical Verb (infinitive) | 2.78% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 2.78% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 36 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "effeminate": effeminate-looking. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
effeminate | 21 |
boy effeminate | 7 |
effeminate man | 3 |
boy effeminate girl girly i into little turned | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "effeminate"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | si femër (camp, womanish), i zhburrëruar (unmanly, unmanned), i femërzuar (feminine). (various references) | |
Arabic | متخنث (prissy), متأنث, مخنث (molly-coddle, sissy, womanish, womanly). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | слаб (defective, dim, faint, feeble, flabby, flaccid, flat, flimsy, impotent, irretentive, lame, lean, light, limp, liny, low, meager, meagre, mean, mild, nerveless, off, pale, poor, puny, queasy, rickety, scanty, scrannel, sick, sinewless, slack, sleazy, slender, slight, slim, slow, sluggish, small, soft, spare, spineless, tender, tenuous, thin, thready, unable, washy, watery, weak, weakish, weakly), мекушав (sappy, unmanly, womanish), женствен (emasculate, girlish, ladylike, pansy, sissy, soft, womanish). (various references) | |
Chinese | 女人" (Womanliness). (various references) | |
Czech | zženštilý (unmanly, womanish). (various references) | |
Dutch | krekel (cricket). (various references) | |
Farsi | نامرد (Caitiff, Coward), نرم (Downy, Fine, Floppy, Levigate, Limber, Lithe, Mellow, Plastic, Pliant, Silken, Silky, Sleek, Slick, Smooth, Soft, Spongy, Suave, Supple, Tractable, Velvet), سست (Atonic, Feckless, Floppy, Frail, Groggy, Inactive, Indolent, Insecure, Languid, Lax, Lethargic, Loose, Mild, Rattletrap, Remiss, Rickety, Shaky, Slack, Sleazy, Slender, Slothful, Supine, Tardy, Tepid, Torpid, Weak), زن صفت (Ladylike, Woman, Womanish), بیرنگ (Gray, Neutral). (various references) | |
Finnish | veltostunut (slack, weakened), naismainen. (various references) | |
French | efféminé. (various references) | |
German | verweichlicht (effeminately, mollycoddles, namby-pamby, renders effeminate). (various references) | |
Greek | γυναικωτόσ, μαλθακός (delicate, indolent), θυληπρεπής, θηλυπρεπήσ. (various references) | |
Hebrew | ע ו' (delicate, delight, enjoyment, fine, joy, mild, pleasure, tender). (various references) | |
Hungarian | elpuhult (delicate, flabby, Pappy, self indulgent, sybaritic), nőies (emasculate, emasculated, feminine, pansy boy, poncy, womanly). (various references) | |
Indonesian | bersifat seperti wanita, banci (bisexual, hermaphrodite, powerless). (various references) | |
Italian | effeminato (cissy, emasculate, sissy). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 惰弱 (effete, enervated), 女性的 (feminine), 女々しい , 女女しい , 女っぽい (feminine, womanish, womanly). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | お"なっぽい (feminine, womanish, womanly), めめしい, じょせいてき (feminine), じゃく (coward, cowardly, effete, enervated, weak). (various references) | |
Korean | 문약한. (various references) | |
Manx | soailtagh (effeminate man, puff, queer, sissy), dendeaysagh (dainty, delicate, effeminate man, fastidious, prim, small eater), bwoirrin (female, feminine, femininistic, ladylike, petticoat), benoil (ladylike, wifely, womanish, womanlike, womanly). (various references) | |
Norwegian | feminin (feminine). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | effeminateay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | efeminado (niminy-piminy, womanish), revestimento de represa (invert), homossexual (gay, homosexual, invert, kiss-me-quick, pansy), arco invertido de apoio (invert), afeminado (foppish, girlish). (various references) | |
Romanian | rãsfãţat (darling, minion, pet), muieratic (womanly), afemeiat (bawdy, lecherous, Lovelace, smell-smock). (various references) | |
Russian | женоподобный (androgynous, pansy, womanish, womanlike). (various references) | |
Scottish | maoth (delicate, soft, tender). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | ženstven (feminine, wifely, womanly). (various references) | |
Spanish | afeminado (camp, ladylike, pantywaist, sissy, unmanly, womanish). (various references) | |
Swedish | veklig (soft), omanlig (sissified, unmanly), feminiserad (camp), feminin (feminine, ladylike), förverkligad, förvekligad (effeminated, emasculate). (various references) | |
Thai | อ้อนแอ้น (svelte). (various references) | |
Turkish | yumuşak (benignant, bland, ductile, easygoing, flabby, flaccid, floppy, gentle, heartthrob, kid glove, kindly, lax, lenient, light, limp, malleable, mellow, mild, pulpy, smooth, soft, soft boiled, spongy, supple, tender, velvet, yielding), kadınsı (feminine, ladylike, unmanly, womanish, womanlike), feminin. (various references) | |
Turkmen | lдlik (coddled). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | млосний (languishing, languorous), зніжений (effete, girlish, ladylike, sardanapalian), жінколюбний, жінкоподібний чоловік, женоподібний (androgynous, pansy). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | yếu ớt (faintly, impuissant, slack, soft, weakly, womanish), ẻo lả (lackadaisical, languorous, sickly, soft). (various references) | |
Welsh | merchedaidd, benywaidd (feminine). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | delicata, delicatae, delicate, delicati, delicatum, delicatus, effeminati, effeminatis, effeminatorum, effeminatos, feminea, femineae, feminei, femineo, liquescens, liquescent, liquescit, mollem, molles, mollibus, mollis, muliebrem, muliebri. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, Verse 9 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | H ouk oidate oti adikoi basileian qeou ou klhronomhsousin mh planasqe oute pornoi oute eidwlolatrai oute moicoi oute malakoi oute arsenokoitai |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | An nescitis quia iniqui regnum Dei non possidebunt nolite errare neque fornicarii neque idolis servientes neque adulteri |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | Whether ye witen not, that wickid men schulen not welde the kyngdom of God? Nyle ye erre; nethir letchours, nether men that seruen mawmetis, nether auouteris, |
| Renaissance English | 1526 | Tyndale | Do ye not remember how that the vnrighteous shall not inheret the kyngdome of God? Be not deceaved. For nether fornicators nether worshyppers of ymages nether whormongers nether weaklinges nether abusars of them selves with the mankynde |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | Have you not knowledge that evil-doers will have no part in the kingdom of God? Have no false ideas about this: no one who goes after the desires of the flesh, or gives worship to images, or is untrue when married, or is less than a man, or makes a wrong use of men, |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, Verse 9 |
| Cebuano | ¶ Nasayud ba kamo nga ang mga dili matarung dili makapanunod sa gingharian sa Dios? Ayaw kamo pagpalimbong; walay mga makihilawason, o mga tigsimba ug mga diosdios, o mga mananapaw, o mga bayot, |
| Croatian | Ili zar ne znate da nepravednici neæe baštiniti kraljevstva Božjega? Ne varajte se! Ni bludnici, ni idolopoklonici, ni preljubnici, ni mekoputnici, ni muškoložnici, |
| Danish | Eller vide I ikke, at uretfærdige skulle ikke arve Guds Rige? Farer ikke vild! Hverken utugtige eller Afgudsdyrkere eller Horkarle eller de som lade sig bruge til unaturlig Utugt, eller de, som øve den, |
| Dutch | Of weet gij niet, dat de onrechtvaardigen het Koninkrijk Gods niet zullen beerven? |
| Finnish | Vai ettekö tiedä, etteivät väärät saa periä Jumalan valtakuntaa? Älkää eksykö. Eivät huorintekijät, ei epäjumalanpalvelijat, ei avionrikkojat, ei hekumoitsijat eikä miehimykset, |
| French | Ne savez-vous pas que les injustes n`hériteront point le royaume de Dieu? Ne vous y trompez pas: ni les impudiques, ni les idolâtres, ni les adultères, |
| German | Wisset ihr nicht, daß die Ungerechten das Reich Gottes nicht ererben werden? Lasset euch nicht verführen! Weder die Hurer noch die Abgöttischen noch die Ehebrecher noch die Weichlinge noch die Knabenschänder |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Tahukah kalian bahwa orang-orang yang tidak menuruti kemauan Allah, tidak akan menjadi anggota umat Allah? Jangan tertipu! Orang-orang yang berbuat cabul, orang-orang yang menyembah berhala, yang berzinah, yang melakukan perbuatan yang memalukan terhadap sesama jenisnya, |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Tiadakah kamu mengetahui bahwa orang lalim tiada akan menjadi waris kerajaan Allah? Janganlah kamu tersesat. Orang berzinah, dan penyembah berhala, dan orang bermukah, dan orang semburit, dan orang yang berburit, |
| Latvian | Vai jûs nezinât, ka netaisnîgie debesvalstîbu neiemantos? Nepievilieties! Ne netikïi, ne elku kalpi, ne laulîbas pârkâpçji, |
| Maori | ¶ Tena ranei kahore koutou i te matau, e kore te hunga whakahere he e whiwhi ki te rangatiratanga o te Atua? Kei tinihangatia koutou; e kore te hunga moepuku, te hunga karakia whakapakoko ranei, te hunga puremu, te hunga whakawahine, te hunga ranei e mea ana i te tane hei wahine, |
| Norwegian | Eller vet I ikke at de som gjør urett, ikke skal arve Guds rike? Far ikke vill! Hverken horkarler eller avgudsdyrkere eller ekteskapsbrytere eller bløtaktige eller de som synder mot naturen, |
| Rumanian | Nu wtiyi cq cei nedrepyi nu vor mowteni Kmpqrqyia lui Dumnezeu? Nu vq knwelayi kn privinya aceasta: nici curvarii, nici knchinqtorii la idoli, nici preacurvarii, nici malahii, nici sodomiyii, |
| Shuar | ¶ Tunáa Túrinkia Yus akupeamunam pachiinkiachmin ainia nu nékatsrumek. Anannawairap. Ashí tsanirma nusha, ántar-yusan tikishmatniusha, nuamtak aishmanjai tsanirmasha, |
| Swahili | Au je, hamjui kwamba watu wabaya hawataurithi Utawala wa Mungu? Msijidanganye! Watu wanaoishi maisha ya uasherati, wanaoabudu sanamu, wazinzi, au walawiti, |
| Swedish | Veten I då icke att de orättfärdiga icke skola få Guds rike till arvedel? Faren icke vilse. Varken otuktiga människor eller avgudadyrkare eller äktenskapsbrytare, varken de som låta bruka sig till synd mot naturen eller de som själva öva sådan synd, |
| Uma | ¶ Ha uma ni'incai ompi', tauna to dada'a kehi-ra, uma-ra jadi' ntodea-na Alata'ala hi rala Kamagaua' -na. Neo' -koi ma'ala rabagiu. Tauna to mogau' sala', to mepue' hi pinotau, topobualo', tomane to mpotobine hingka tomane, tobine to hampoturua hingka tobine, |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "effeminate": effeminately, effeminates. (additional references) | |
| |
"Effeminate" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: efeminate, efeminite, effefinate, effemiate, effeminare, effeminite, effeminte, effiminate, iffeminate. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "effeminate" (pronounced ēfe"munut) |
| 6 | -e" m u n u t | geminate. |
| 5 | -m u n u t | indeterminate, indiscriminate, innominate, laminate. |
| 4 | -u n u t | affectionate, baronet, bicarbonate, cabinet, compassionate, coordinate, definite, diaconate, dispassionate, disproportionate, extortionate, fortunate, indefinite, infinite, inordinate, obstinate, passionate, proportionate, sultanate, unfortunate. |
| 3 | -n u t | alternate, Bennet, bluebonnet, bonnet, incarnate, electromagnet, ferromagnet, garnet, granite, hornet, magnate, magnet, minute, peanut, Pinot, planet, rennet, senate, Sennet, tenet, unit. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-e-e-f-f-i-m-n-t" | |
-3 letters: emetine, etamine, fifteen, matinee. | |
-4 letters: affine, effete, emetin, etamin, famine, inmate, meanie, tamein, teniae. | |
-5 letters: ament, amine, anime, eaten, enate, enema, entia, faint, feint, matin, meant, menta, minae, tenia, tinea. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-e-e-f-f-i-m-n-t" | |
+1 letter: effeminates. | |
+2 letters: effeminately. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Familiar 6. Quotations: Fiction 7. Usage Frequency 8. Expressions | 9. Expressions: Internet 10. Translations: Modern 11. Translations: Ancient 12. Bible Trace | 13. Derivations 14. Rhymes 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
