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Glite Dictionary
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effeminization

effeminization

9.9
Giving feminine gender or forms to words in a language
  • noun
  • /ˌɛfɪˌmɪnaɪˈzeɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : afeminización
  • In many Romance languages, the effeminization of nouns is a common grammatical feature.

Examples

  • The effeminization of certain nouns in the language followed the introduction of new grammatical rules.

  • Linguists study the effeminization of borrowed words as part of language evolution.

  • The effeminization of terms can affect how speakers perceive gender roles in language.

  • The effeminization of certain nouns has changed over time.

  • Many languages face effeminization challenges.

  • The effeminization of adjectives in this language reflects cultural shifts in gender perceptions.

  • Academics often discuss the effeminization of certain word forms in linguistic studies.

Surface Forms

effeminization singular
effeminizations plural

Morphology

effeminization = effeminize (opaque) = effemin + ize + ation

The noun is formally built from effeminize + -ation, but this grammatical sense is specialized and not readily inferable from the stem for most learners.

Etymology

The word effeminization comes from the Latin verb effeminare, meaning 'to make like a woman', and that verb is built on femina 'woman', the same root in female and feminine. So in grammar it means giving a word the feminine form or the 'woman' gender.