FEMININE, in Grammar, one of the genders of nouns. See GENDER.
The feminine gender is that which denotes the nouns or name to belong to a female. In the Latin, the feminine gender is formed of the masculine, by altering its termination; particularly by changing us into a.
Thus, of the masculine bonus equus, "a good horse," is formed the feminine bona equa, "a good mare;" so, of parvus homo, "a little man," is formed parva femina, "a little woman," &c.
In French, the feminine gender is expressed, not by a different termination, but by a different article: thus, le is joined to a male, and la to a female.
In English, we are generally more strict, and express the difference of sex, not by different terminations, nor by different particles, but different words; as boar and sow, boy and girl, brother and sister, &c. — though sometimes the feminine is formed by varying the termination of the male into ess; as in abbot, abbess, &c.