Fem"i*nine (?), a. [L. femininus, fr. femina woman; prob. akin to L. fetus, or to Gr. qh^sqai to suck, qh^sai to suckle, Skr. dhā to suck; cf. AS. f&aemacr;mme woman, maid: cf. F. féminin. See Fetus.] 1. Of or pertaining to a woman, or to women; characteristic of a woman; womanish; womanly.

Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace.

2. Having the qualities of a woman; becoming or appropriate to the female sex; as, in a good sense, modest, graceful, affectionate, confiding; or, in a bad sense, weak, nerveless, timid, pleasure-loving, effeminate.

Her heavenly form
Angelic, but more soft and feminine.

Ninus being esteemed no man of war at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy.

Syn. -- See Female, a.

Fem"i*nine, n. 1. A woman. [Obs. or Colloq.]

They guide the feminines toward the palace.

2. (Gram.) Any one of those words which are the appellations of females, or which have the terminations usually found in such words; as, actress, songstress, abbess, executrix.

There are but few true feminines in English.

• Of or pertaining to a woman, or to women; characteristic of a woman; womanish; womanly.
       Quotations
       *Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace — Macaulay
  
• Having the qualities of a woman; becoming or appropriate to the female sex; as, in a good sense, modest, graceful, affectionate, confiding; or, in a bad sense, weak, nerveless, timid, pleasure-loving, effeminate.
       Quotations
       *Her heavenly form Angelic, but more soft and feminine — Milton
       *Ninus being esteemed no man of war at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy — Sir Walter Raleigh
  
• grammatical gender distinction in languages that have it such as Spanish and Hindi that describes nouns including those pertaining to females and objects that are assigned the feminine gender.
  
• Of or pertaining to woman.
  
• Having the qualities of a woman.
  
• (Obsolete or Colloquial): A woman
       Quotations
       *They guide the feminines toward the palace — Hakluyt
  
• (Grammar): Any one of those words which are the appellations of females, or which have the terminations usually found in such words; as, actress, songstress, abbess, executrix.
       Quotations
       *There are but few true feminines in English — Latham