5 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A female flower or plant contains the part that will become the fruit when it is fertilized. □ Figs have male and female flowers.
femi|nine /fe m I n I n/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Feminine qualities and things relate to or are considered typical of women, in contrast to men. □ …male leaders worrying about their women abandoning traditional feminine roles. □ …a manufactured ideal of feminine beauty.
2 ADJ Someone or something that is feminine has qualities that are considered typical of women, especially being pretty or gentle. [APPROVAL ] □ I've always been attracted to very feminine, delicate women. □ The bedroom has a light, feminine look.
3 ADJ In some languages, a feminine noun, pronoun, or adjective has a different form from a masculine or neuter one, or behaves in a different way.
femi|nin|ity /fe m I n I n I ti/
1 N‑UNCOUNT A woman's femininity is the fact that she is a woman. □ …the drudgery behind the ideology of motherhood and femininity.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Femininity means the qualities that are considered to be typical of women. □ …this courageous German tennis star's unique blend of strength and femininity.
femi|nism /fe m I n I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Feminism is the belief and aim that women should have the same rights, power, and opportunities as men. □ …Barbara Johnson, that champion of radical feminism.
femi|nist /fe m I n I st/ (feminists )
1 N‑COUNT A feminist is a person who believes in and supports feminism. □ Only 16 per cent of young women in a 1990 survey considered themselves feminists.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Feminist groups, ideas, and activities are involved in feminism. □ …the concerns addressed by the feminist movement.
femi|nize /fe m I na I z/ (feminizes , feminizing , feminized ) in BRIT, also use feminise VERB To feminize something means to make it into something that involves mainly women or is thought suitable for or typical of women. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] …their governments' policies of feminizing low-paid factory work. □ [V -ed] …a feminised pinstriped suit.
femme fa|tale /fæ m fətɑː l/ (femmes fatales ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] If a woman has a reputation as a femme fatale , she is considered to be very attractive sexually, and likely to cause problems for any men who are attracted to her.
fe|mur /fiː mə r / (femurs ) N‑COUNT Your femur is the large bone in the upper part of your leg.
fen /fe n/ (fens ) N‑VAR Fen is used to refer to an area of low, flat, wet land, especially in the east of England. □ …the flat fen lands near Cambridge.
fence ◆◇◇ /fe ns/ (fences , fencing , fenced )
1 N‑COUNT A fence is a barrier between two areas of land, made of wood or wire supported by posts. □ Villagers say the fence would restrict public access to the hills.
2 VERB If you fence an area of land, you surround it with a fence. □ [V n] The first task was to fence the wood to exclude sheep. □ [V -ed] Thomas was playing in a little fenced area full of sand.
3 N‑COUNT A fence in show jumping or horse racing is an obstacle or barrier that horses have to jump over.
4 PHRASE If one country tries to mend fences with another, it tries to end a disagreement or quarrel with the other country. You can also say that two countries mend fences . □ [+ with ] Washington was last night doing its best to mend fences with the Europeans, saying it understood their concerns.
5 PHRASE If you sit on the fence , you avoid supporting a particular side in a discussion or argument. □ They are sitting on the fence and refusing to commit themselves.
▸ fence in
1 PHRASAL VERB If you fence something in , you surround it completely with a fence. □ [V P n] He plans to fence in about 100 acres of his ranch five miles north of town.
2 PHRASAL VERB [usu passive] If you are fenced in by someone or something, they are so close to you that you are unable to move or leave. □ [be V -ed P ] She was basically fenced in by what the military wanted to do. □ [V -ed P ] He put his hand on the post behind her so that he had her fenced in and could look down on her.
fenc|ing /fe ns I ŋ/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Fencing is a sport in which two competitors fight each other using very thin swords. The ends of the swords are covered and the competitors wear protective clothes, so that they do not hurt each other.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Materials such as wood or wire that are used to make fences are called fencing . □ …old wooden fencing.
fend /fe nd/ (fends , fending , fended ) VERB If you have to fend for yourself, you have to look after yourself without relying on help from anyone else. □ [V + for ] The woman and her young baby had been thrown out and left to fend for themselves.
▸ fend off
1 PHRASAL VERB If you fend off unwanted questions, problems, or people, you stop them from affecting you or defend yourself from them, but often only for a short time and without dealing with them completely. □ [V P n] He looked relaxed and determined as he fended off questions from the world's media. □ [V n P ] He had struggled to pay off creditors but couldn't fend them off any longer.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you fend off someone who is attacking you, you use your arms or something such as a stick to defend yourself from their blows. □ [V P n] He raised his hand to fend off the blow. [Also V n P ]
fend|er /fe ndə r / (fenders )