femaleness

fe·male  (fml)

adj.

1.

a. Of or denoting the sex that produces ova or bears young.

b. Characteristic of or appropriate to this sex; feminine.

c. Consisting of members of this sex. See Usage Note at lady.

2. Botany

a. Designating an organ, such as a pistil or ovary, that functions in producing seeds after fertilization.

b. Bearing pistils but not stamens; pistillate: female flowers.

3. Having a recessed part, such as a slot or receptacle, designed to receive a complementary male part: the female section of an electrical outlet.

n.

1. A member of the sex that produces ova or bears young.

2. A woman or girl.

3. Botany A plant having only pistillate flowers.

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[Middle English, alteration (influenced by male, male) of femelle, from Old French, from Latin fmella, diminutive of fmina, woman; see dh(i)- in Indo-European roots.]

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femaleness n.

Synonyms: female, feminine, womanlike, womanly, womanish, effeminate, ladylike
These adjectives mean of or characteristic of women. Female categorizes any living thing by gender or sex: the female population; a female kitten; a female plant.
Feminine refers to what is considered characteristic of women: feminine intuition.
Womanlike applies to qualities of a woman: womanlike resolve.
Womanly describes qualities regarded as becoming to a woman: womanly sympathy.
Womanish suggests qualities associated with or suggestive of women: womanish attitudes.
Effeminate applies to men who exhibit attributes traditionally associated with women: an effeminate actor.
Ladylike applies to what is regarded as befitting refined or well-mannered women: ladylike manners.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

femaleness - the properties characteristic of the female sex feminineness sexuality, gender, sex - the properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles; "she didn't want to know the sex of the foetus" maleness, masculinity - the properties characteristic of the male sex