Search the Dictionary

Of the male sex; not female. Thy masculine children, that is to say, thy sons. Chaucer.

A tall, strong, masculine woman; a virago.

Pertaining to or resembling an Amazon; of masculine manners; warlike. Shak.

A big, masculine wife. [Obs.] Chaucer.

measure. -- Common gender (Gram.), the gender comprising words that may be of either the masculine or the feminine gender. -- Common law, a system of jurisprudence developing under the guidance of the courts so as to apply a consistent and reasonable rule to each litigated case. It may be superseded by statute, but u…

To lull to sleep; to quiet; to compose. [Obs.] The operation of the masculine faculties of the soul were, for a while, well slacked and consopited. Dr. H. More.

ng elegance of female friendship. Johnson. A trait of native elegance, seldom seen in the masculine character after childhood or early youth, was shown in the General's fondness for the sight and fragrance of flowers. Hawthorne.

To deprive of masculine vigor or spirit; to weaken; to render effeminate; to vitiate by unmanly softness. Luxury had not emasculated their minds. V. Knox.

; -- a term applied, in grammar, to such nouns as have but one form of gender, either the masculine or feminine, to indicate animals of both sexes; as bos, for the ox and cow; sometimes applied to eunuchs and hermaphrodites.

ak; insipid; tasteless; commonplace. [R.] "Passages that are somewhat fade." Jeffrey. His masculine taste gave him a sense of something fade and ludicrous. De Quincey.

The man or male being (or object personified to which the masculine gender is assigned), previously designated; a pronoun of the masculine gender, usually referring to a specified subject already indicated. Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Gen. iii. 16. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God;…

nouns having different genders in the singular and plural numbers; as, hic locus, of the masculine gender in the singular, and hi loci and hæc loca, both masculine and neuter in the plural; hoc cælum, neuter in the singular; hi cæli, masculine in the plural. -- Heterogeneous quantities (Math.), such quantities as are…

An emphasized form of the third person masculine pronoun; -- used as a subject usually with he; as, he himself will bear the blame; used alone in the predicate, either in the nominative or objective case; as, it is himself who saved himself. But he himself returned from the quarries. Judges iii. 19. David hid himself i…

The neuter pronoun of the third person, corresponding to the masculine pronoun he and the feminine she, and having the same plural (they, their of theirs, them).

Suitable to the male sex; characteristic or suggestive of a male; masculine; as, male courage.

Manlike; not womanly; masculine; bold; cruel. [Obs] Are women grown so mankind Must they be wooing Beau. & Fl. Be not too mankind against your wife. Chapman.

Resembling, suitable to, or characteristic of, a man, manlike, masculine. Chaucer. A woman impudent and mannish grown. Shak.

The state or quality of being masculine; masculineness.

The act of stridding; a long step; the space measured by a long step; as, a masculine stride. Pope. God never meant that man should scale the heavens By strides of human wisdom. Cowper.

Having a vigorous mind; esp., having or affecting masculine qualities of mind; -- said of women. -- Strong"-mind`ed*ness, n.