Effeminate
/ɪˈfɛm.ɪ.nət/noun
Having traits traditionally associated with women; often used historically in a pejorative sense for men considered unmanly or soft.
Did you know?Effeminate comes from Latin effēminātus, literally meaning “made woman-like,” a reminder that words about gender were once used as weapons of status and shame.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
effēminātus
“made woman-like; weakened or unmanly”
Latin
Latin
ex- + fēmina
“out of + woman”
Late Latin
Latin
effemināre
“to make woman-like; to weaken”
14th Century
Middle English
effeminat
“womanish; unmanly”
Modern English
English
effeminate
“having qualities traditionally associated with women; often pejorative for men perceived as soft or unmanly”