fem
fem — adjective
- fempositive
- femmercomparative
- femmestsuperlative
1. used as a short written form of 'feminine' or 'female', especially on forms, off
used as a short written form of 'feminine' or 'female', especially on forms, official documents, or labels where space is limited — for example, marking a person's sex as 'F' on a passport application or noting a grammatical gender category in a language textbook.
On the application form, Xiu ticked the box marked 'F' for female.
fem shortened to 'F' on forms
Hassan wrote 'fem' next to 'la table' in his French notebook to mark the noun as feminine.
fem used for grammatical gender marking in language learning
The table shows the noun endings for each gender: masc., fem., and neut.
In the app's account settings, Manuela selected 'fem' from the gender dropdown menu.
- masc.
the abbreviation for masculine, used in the same writing contexts
文法句型
fem + noun (abbreviation)
fem (alone in forms / checkboxes / labels)
用法筆記
This sense appears almost exclusively in writing — on forms, tables, footnotes, and official documents. In speech, the full words 'female' or 'feminine' are used instead.
常見錯誤
2. deliberately or noticeably feminine in appearance, behaviour, or personal style
deliberately or noticeably feminine in appearance, behaviour, or personal style — often describing a conscious choice to present oneself in a way that matches traditional ideas of femininity, as in wearing dresses, makeup, or using soft mannerisms.
Evelyn wore a flowing skirt and felt more fem than she had in weeks.
fem describing personal style
The fashion show featured both masc and fem looks on the same runway.
Sivan decided to go for a softer, more fem look at the dinner party.
At the family barbecue, Yuki wore a bright pink blouse and felt comfortably fem among the crowd.
文法句型
fem + noun (look / style / vibe)
look / feel / dress fem
用法筆記
This is a casual, sometimes self-aware adjective used especially in LGBTQ+ communities and fashion contexts. It describes a chosen style rather than a biological category. Compare with sense 1 (adjective) which is only a written abbreviation.
常見錯誤
fem — abbreviation
1. a written abbreviation whose exact meaning — either 'female' or 'feminine' — is
a written abbreviation whose exact meaning — either 'female' or 'feminine' — is decided by the surrounding context, used in notes and labels where the difference between the two meanings does not need to be stated explicitly.
In the chart, Élise noticed the small 'fem' next to each of the noun examples.
fem in language-learning materials
Skimming the census report, Chen saw 'fem' in the demographics column and knew it meant female.
fem disambiguated by context (demographics)
Layla checked the key at the bottom of the table and saw 'fem' for both categories.
Flipping through her Portuguese dictionary, Mei-Lin saw 'fem' next to 'casa' and knew the noun was feminine.
文法句型
fem (in labels / footnotes / tables)
用法筆記
In this general sense the abbreviation could stand for 'female' or 'feminine' depending on the topic of the text. When you need to refer specifically to biological sex use sense 2; for grammatical gender use sense 3.
2. a written abbreviation for 'female', referring specifically to the biological se
a written abbreviation for 'female', referring specifically to the biological sex category of a person or animal, as used in medical records, scientific data, or administrative forms.
The lab report listed eight subjects: five male and three fem.
fem for biological sex in research
Kian selected 'fem' on the health questionnaire because the form used that abbreviation.
Adina organised the census data into separate columns for masc, fem, and nonbinary participants.
The nurse checked the wristband on Hana's bed and confirmed the 'fem' code was correct.
- masc
abbreviation for 'male' in the same contexts
文法句型
fem (in medical charts / statistics)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 3 ('feminine'), which refers to grammatical gender or social presentation rather than biological sex.
3. a written abbreviation for 'feminine', used in language textbooks and grammar re
a written abbreviation for 'feminine', used in language textbooks and grammar references to mark a word's gender category — for example, indicating that a French noun like 'table' takes feminine articles and adjective endings.
The vocabulary list had 'la maison' marked as fem and 'le jardin' as masc.
fem for grammatical gender
Alessia studied the noun endings and noticed that most words ending in '-ion' are fem.
In French class, Mr. Nakamura asked the class to sort 'table', 'livre', and 'bureau' into masc and fem groups.
In Spanish, words ending in '-a' are usually fem, while those ending in '-o' are masc.
文法句型
fem (in grammar descriptions / word lists)
用法筆記
This sense is distinct from sense 2 ('female — biological sex'). 'Feminine' here is a grammatical category, not a statement about the object's biological sex.
常見錯誤
4. a short written form of 'femur', the long bone in the upper leg that connects th
a short written form of 'femur', the long bone in the upper leg that connects the hip to the knee, used by medical professionals in patient notes, anatomy diagrams, and surgical reports.
The X-ray showed a clean break in the right fem just below the hip joint.
fem for femur in medical notation
In the surgery report, the doctor noted 'fracture of left fem' and described the repair.
The orthopaedic surgeon labelled the X-ray image 'R fem — no abnormalities seen'.
In the anatomy textbook, a diagram of the leg had 'fem' written beside the longest bone.
- femur
the full anatomical term; use this in speech and general writing
- thigh bone
the everyday English term, clearer for non-medical audiences
文法句型
fem (in clinical notes / anatomy diagrams)
用法筆記
This abbreviation is almost exclusive to clinical and anatomical writing. Laypeople and language learners are unlikely to encounter it outside medical contexts. The full word 'femur' is preferred in general communication.