Etymology of the English word effeminate
the English word
effeminatederived from the Latin word
effeminatus (womanish, effeminate)
derived from the Classical Latin word
effeminare (weaken, enervate, make effeminate)
using the Latin prefix
ex-derived from the Late Latin word
ex (out)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*eghsderived from the Latin word
femina (woman; female)
using the Proto-Indo-European prefix
dhēi-Date
The earliest known usage of effeminate in English dates from the 14th century.
Derivations in English
effeminacy,
effeminize,
effeminated,
effeminatingUsage
Word found in Modern English
