Effeminated

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A condition in which an individual exhibits or adopts qualities and behaviors conventionally linked to the female gender
2. A state where the traits perceived as feminine are prominently displayed or embraced by a person
3. A manner of expression or behavior characterized by the presence of traits typically associated with femininity in an individual

Etymology: The past tense "effeminated" is simply the past form of "effeminate", so its history is that of the adjective. That adjective comes from Latin "effeminatus", the past participle of "effeminare", meaning to make womanish or to unman, built from "ex-" and "femina", "woman". The Latin verb was a deliberately pejorative one: to render someone soft or weak by making them like a woman, a judgment that carried the sense of loss of manly vigour rather than any neutral description of femininity. The word reached Middle English by way of Latin, where it was used of men who had lost their strength or resolve. Its current meaning, describing a man with traits considered feminine, grew out of that older contrast between manly and womanly qualities, which is why the term has always carried an implicit judgment about the men it describes.

Synonyms: feminized, softened

Antonyms: masculinized