masculine

Etymology

From Middle English masculyne, masculyn, from Old French masculin, from Latin masculīnus, diminutive of masculus (“male, manly”), itself a diminutive of mās (“male”). Displaced native Old English werlīċ (literally “manly”).

adj

1. Of or pertaining to the male gender; manly.
2. Of or pertaining to the male sex; biologically male, not female.
3. Belonging to males; typically used by males.
   “John”, “Paul”, and “Jake” are masculine names.
4. Having the qualities stereotypically associated with men: virile, aggressive, not effeminate.
   That lady, after her husband's death, held the reins with a masculine energy. 1818, Henry Hallam, View of the state of Europe during the Middle ages
5. (grammar) Of, pertaining or belonging to the male grammatical gender, in languages that have gender distinctions.
   1. (of a noun) Being of the masculine class or grammatical gender, and inflected in that manner.
      The noun Student is masculine in German.
   2. (of another part of speech) Being inflected in agreement with a masculine noun.
      German uses the masculine form of the definite article, der, with Student.
6. (grammar, Mongolic languages, of any word) Having the vowel harmony of a back vowel.
   Coordinate term: feminine

noun

1. (grammar) The masculine gender.
   The masculine functions as the negative term in the opposition, i.e. when the gender is not defined, the masculine is used. 2009, Carlos Quiles, Fernando López-Menchero, A Grammar of Modern Indo-European, Second Edition
2. (grammar) A word of the masculine gender.
   As to the class to which the masculines of the strong declension belong, we repeat that […] 1905, George Theodore Dippold, A German grammar for high schools and colleges
3. That which is masculine.
   These forces would also seem to reflect the gender distinction that can be made with respect to the divine, the feminine associated with the divine as immanent within the finite and the masculine with the divine transcendence and the infinite. 2004, Leonora Leet, The Universal Kabbalah
4. (rare, possibly obsolete) A man.
   I think women, at least those who do their own work, would live very simply in that respect, if there were none of the masculines to feed. 1868, The Ladies' Repository, A Universalist Monthly Magazine For The Home Circle. Volume XXXIX [39], page 458 (left column)