GENDER


Meaning of GENDER in English

■ noun

1》 Grammar a class (usually masculine, feminine, common, or neuter) into which nouns and pronouns are placed in some languages, distinguished by a particular inflection.

↘the property of belonging to such a class.

2》 the state of being male or female (chiefly in cultural or social contexts).

↘the members of one or other sex: differences between the ~s.

Derivatives

~ed adjective

Origin

ME: from OFr. gendre (mod. genre ), based on L. genus 'birth, family, nation'.

Usage

Although the words ~ and sex both have the sense ‘the state of being male or female’, they are typically used in different ways: sex tends to refer to biological differences, while ~ tends to refer to cultural or social ones.

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.