in Grammar, one of the genders of nouns, namely, the second.

The feminine gender is that which denotes that the noun or name belongs to a female. In the Latin the feminine gender is formed from 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; and so, of *parus homo*, a little man, is formed *parva femina*, a little woman.

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 by different words; as boar and sow, boy and girl, brother and sister; though sometimes the feminine is formed by varying the termination of the masculine into *ess*, as in abbot, abbess, and the like.