Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Slang A person, especially a lesbian or a gay man, who exhibits stereotypical feminine traits, often in an exaggerated way.
- noun Informal A woman or girl.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun See
feme .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A woman. See
feme , n. - noun A lady's maid; a chambermaid.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun archaic, rare A
woman , awife , particularly inheraldry . - noun slang, LGBT A feminine
lesbian , and especially one who is attracted to masculine (orbutch ) lesbians.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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As he began to introduce The Woman Men Yearn For, film critic Leonard Maltin suggested that it's time people stopped using the term "femme fatale" as their default for describing characters like those portrayed onscreen by Marlene Dietrich.
George Heymont: The Myth of the Deadly Diva George Heymont 2012
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As he began to introduce The Woman Men Yearn For, film critic Leonard Maltin suggested that it's time people stopped using the term "femme fatale" as their default for describing characters like those portrayed onscreen by Marlene Dietrich.
George Heymont: The Myth of the Deadly Diva George Heymont 2012
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As he began to introduce The Woman Men Yearn For, film critic Leonard Maltin suggested that it's time people stopped using the term "femme fatale" as their default for describing characters like those portrayed onscreen by Marlene Dietrich.
George Heymont: The Myth of the Deadly Diva George Heymont 2012
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But even still, the label "femme" was hoisted upon my shoulders shortly after coming out -- but only after I had convinced people that I wasn't bisexual, because apparently, a stereotypically feminine woman, if not straight, is probably bi.
Sasha Lotrian: When You Realize You're a Lesbian Sasha Lotrian 2012
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But even still, the label "femme" was hoisted upon my shoulders shortly after coming out -- but only after I had convinced people that I wasn't bisexual, because apparently, a stereotypically feminine woman, if not straight, is probably bi.
Sasha Lotrian: When You Realize You're a Lesbian Sasha Lotrian 2012
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But even still, the label "femme" was hoisted upon my shoulders shortly after coming out -- but only after I had convinced people that I wasn't bisexual, because apparently, a stereotypically feminine woman, if not straight, is probably bi.
Sasha Lotrian: When You Realize You're a Lesbian Sasha Lotrian 2012
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While I realize that the lesbian community uses the term femme to classify a particular type of lesbian, my blog won't only address lesbians.
Archive 2009-04-01 2009
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While I realize that the lesbian community uses the term femme to classify a particular type of lesbian, my blog won't only address lesbians.
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But even still, the label "femme" was hoisted upon my shoulders shortly after coming out -- but only after I had convinced people that I wasn't bisexual, because apparently, a stereotypically feminine woman, if not straight, is probably bi.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Sasha Lotrian 2012
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But even still, the label "femme" was hoisted upon my shoulders shortly after coming out -- but only after I had convinced people that I wasn't bisexual, because apparently, a stereotypically feminine woman, if not straight, is probably bi.
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Sasha Lotrian 2012
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Femmes, that is to say feminine-of-center LGBTQ folks, are also made of power, determination and now, with the swearing-in of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), senatorial gravitas.
Opinion | Kyrsten Sinema's Swearing-In Look Was A Bold Queer Statement Lily Burana 2019
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I rarely thought about the meaning of the word femme until I began to see it used incorrectly, specifically as a synonym for any straight or cis woman who embraces femininity.
Who Gets to be Femme? Zoe Whittall 2021
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Sinema’s swearing-in look can best be described as high femme: a hyperfeminine appearance with all the trappings, like nails, hair and high heels.
Opinion | Kyrsten Sinema's Swearing-In Look Was A Bold Queer Statement Lily Burana 2019
semantico commented on the word femme
Woman in french, but I hope some french Wordie(r) will help us with nuances...
April 26, 2009
rolig commented on the word femme
Or perhaps some lesbian Wordie-er. I believe this is a fairly old term among lesbians for a homosexual woman who is attracted to "butch" women (i.e. women who to some degree adopt or possess traditionally masculine gender attributes in manner and dress) but who herself acts and dresses in ways that are considered traditionally feminine. A related term, originating in the late 1980s or early 1990s, is "lipstick lesbian" but I think this has different, and more political, connotations.
April 26, 2009
reesetee commented on the word femme
Yes, I agree--the two terms have vastly differing connotations, at least in this area of the United States. From what I understand, the terms "butch" and "femme" are still fairly widely used but their connotations have shifted over time as well.
May 2, 2009
seanahan commented on the word femme
I probably hear this the most often as part of femme fatale.
May 2, 2009