Masculine Meaning
/ˈmæskjʊlɪn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf or pertaining to the male gender.
adjOf or pertaining to the male sex; biologically male, not female.
Sentence Examples
The radio announcer had a masculine voice.
Joe's masculine smell made Louisa sick.
What examples of behaviour would you consider typically masculine?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The actor's deep voice and strong build gave him a very ____ appearance.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The room was decorated in a very ____ style, featuring dark leather and heavy oak furniture.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English masculyne, masculyn, from Old French masculin, from Latin masculīnus, diminutive of masculus (“male, manly”), itself a diminutive of mās (“male”). Displaced native Old English werlīċ (literally “manly”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"That lady, after her husband's death, held the reins with a masculine energy."
— 1818, Henry Hallam, View of the state of Europe during the Middle ages:
"[…] a masculine church."
— 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
"The masculine functions as the negative term in the opposition, i.e. when the gender is not defined, the masculine is used."
— 2009, Carlos Quiles, Fernando López-Menchero, A Grammar of Modern Indo-European, Second Edition:
"As to the class to which the masculines of the strong declension belong, we repeat that […]"
— 1905, George Theodore Dippold, A German grammar for high schools and colleges:
"These forces would also seem to reflect the gender distinction that can be made with respect to the divine, the feminine associated with the divine as immanent within the finite and the masculine with the divine transcendence and the infinite."
— 2004, Leonora Leet, The Universal Kabbalah:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The actor's deep voice and strong build gave him a very ____ appearance.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The room was decorated in a very ____ style, featuring dark leather and heavy oak furniture.