- Masculineness
- masculine mas"cu*line (m[a^]s"k[-u]*l[i^]n), a. [L.
masculinus, fr. masculus male, manly, dim. of mas a male: cf.
F. masculin. See {Male} masculine.]
1. Of the male sex; not female.
[1913 Webster]
Thy masculine children, that is to say, thy sons. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
2. Having the qualities of a man; suitable to, or characteristic of, a man; virile; not feminine or effeminate; strong; robust. [1913 Webster]
That lady, after her husband's death, held the reins with a masculine energy. --Hallam. [1913 Webster]
3. Belonging to males; appropriated to, or used by, males. [R.] ``A masculine church.'' --Fuller. [1913 Webster]
4. (Gram.) Having the inflections of, or construed with, words pertaining especially to male beings, as distinguished from {feminine} and {neuter}. See {Gender}. -- {Mas"cu*line*ly}, adv. -- {Mas"cu*line*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
