feminist

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfɛmənɪst/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French féministe (1872),^[2][3] from féminin, feminine, and -iste, -ist,^[3] ultimately from Latin femina (“woman”) (see feminism).^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

An advocate of feminism: 1892 in Etymonline, 1894 in the OED;^[2][5] as an adjective by 1894.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that womanist was sometimes tried as a native alternative, that femalist had already been taken (1610s) for a courter of women, and that Shaw coined hominist for one who claims for men the privileges given to women.^[2] Feministic is from 1902.^[5]

Timeline

• 1872 – French féministe.^[2]
• 1892 – the noun.^[2]
• 1894 – the adjective.^[2]
• 1902 – feministic.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who supports feminism and equal rights for women.

Adjective

1. Of, relating to or supporting feminism.

Word family

• feministic
• nonfeminist
• postfeminist
• profeminist
• unfeminist
• antifeminist
• feminazi

Related words

• feminism
• feminine
• female
• effeminate

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press