Mas"cu*line (măs"k&usl;*l&ibreve;n), a. [L. masculinus, fr. masculus male, manly, dim. of mas a male: cf. F.
masculin. See Male
masculine.]
1. Of the male sex; not female.
Thy masculine children, that is to say, thy sons.
Chaucer.
2. Having the qualities of a
man; suitable to, or characteristic of, a man; virile;
not feminine or effeminate; strong; robust.
That lady, after her husband's death, held the reins with a masculine energy.
Hallam.
3. Belonging to males; appropriated to, or used by, males. [R.] "A masculine church."
Fuller.
4. (Gram.) Having the inflections of, or construed with, words pertaining
especially to male beings, as distinguished from feminine and neuter. See Gender. -- Mas"cu*line*ly, adv.
-- Mas"cu*line*ness,
n.
Hear it pronounced