feminisation
|fem-i-ni-sa-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌfɛmənəˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌfemɪnɪˈzeɪʃən/
making feminine
Etymology
'feminisation' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from the adjective 'feminine' plus the French-derived suffix '-isation', where 'feminine' comes from Latin 'femina' meaning 'woman' and '-isation' denotes 'action or process'.
'feminisation' changed from the verb form 'feminize' and the adjective 'feminine'; 'feminine' derived from Old French 'feminin' and Latin 'femininus' from 'femina' (woman), and these elements combined in Modern English to produce 'feminisation'.
Initially related to being 'womanly' or 'pertaining to women', the term evolved to denote the process or result of making something feminine ('the act or process of making feminine').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the act or process of making something feminine or more characteristic of women.
The feminisation of advertising has changed the way products are marketed to women.
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Noun 2
in biology or medicine, the development or acquisition of female characteristics in an organism (physiological or anatomical feminisation).
Exposure to certain hormones can cause the feminisation of male animals.
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Noun 3
a social or economic process in which an occupation, sector, or phenomenon becomes dominated by women or associated with women.
The feminisation of the teaching profession changed workplace policies and expectations.
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Last updated: 2026/01/17 01:26