Etymologically
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feminist

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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
  • 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