'feminize' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'fēmina', where 'fēmina' meant 'woman', combined with the suffix '-ize' from Greek '-izein' via Latin '-izare'.

'feminize' changed from French 'féminiser' and from New Latin formations into English 'feminize' in the 17th–19th centuries.

Initially, it meant 'to make female' or 'to give feminine qualities', and over time it has kept that core meaning while also being used in social and linguistic contexts to mean 'to apply feminine characteristics or roles'.