What is a feminine noun?

Answer 1

English doesn't make the the same sorts of distinctions between masculine, feminine and neuter nouns as do some languages. For example Spanish distinguishes gender of all nouns very specifically using the terms "el" (for masculine nouns) and "la" (for feminine nouns). Many languages do the same (e.g., French and German - not always logically - Mark Twain has a delightful discussion regarding the inconsistent use of masculine and feminine distinctions in German in his essay "The Awful German Language").

So let's talk about some specifics. English does have masculine, feminine, and neuter pronouns. The masculine pronoun is "he", the feminine pronoun is "she", and the neuter pronoun is "it". Although it is not classified as a feminine noun, a ship is usually referred to as "she" rather than "it".

In addition, English very definitely makes distinctions between masculine and feminine nouns in other ways. For example, the nouns "man, bishop, bull, prince, boar, rooster, stag, and gentleman" refer only to males in English. The nouns "woman, princess, nun, empress, hen, sow, and lady" refer only to females. And, of course, there are the nouns "male" and "female."