Where does “feminine” come from?
feminine (Middle English) comes from Old French feminin, from Latin femininus, from Latin -inus, from Proto-Italic -īnos, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.
Ancestry of “feminine”, step by step
feminine traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French feminin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | feminin | — |
| 2 | Latin | femininus | feminine; of or relating to the feminine gender |
| 3 | Latin | -inus | Of or pertaining to; -ine |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -īnos | of/belonging to |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via Old French feminine
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | feminine | — |