Words / B2

MASK-y-uh-lin/ˈmæskjəlɪn/

Masculine means traditionally linked with men, or a grammar gender: masculine endings; a masculine stereotype. Male is biological/legal (already in the dictionary); manly is dated praise. Masculine endings are grammar, not a comment on the speaker. Mix-up: masculine vs feminist as politics; mass is a large amount (already elsewhere). Do not call every deep voice masculine as a value judgement in an essay.

Meaning

Having qualities traditionally linked with men; also a grammar gender.

Examples

• “Masculine endings in French are not a comment on the speaker.”
• “A masculine stereotype featured in the media unit, which is the gender-role sense.”

Good to know

masculine noun / ending / stereotype. Biology/legal: male. Trap: mass. MFL, media, and sociology. Grammar gender or a stereotype, not “better”.

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