gender
gender (jĕnʹdər) noun
Abbr. g., gen.
1. Grammar. a. A grammatical category used in the analysis of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and, in some languages, verbs that may be arbitrary or based on characteristics such as sex or animacy and that determines agreement with or selection of modifiers, referents, or grammatical forms. b. One category of such a set. c. The classification of a word or grammatical form in such a category. d. The distinguishing form or forms used.
2. Sexual identity, especially in relation to society or culture.
noun, attributive.
Often used to modify another noun: "Women entered graduate schools . . . and encountered gender discrimination when they applied for the few academic positions" (New York Times).
verb, transitive
gendered, gendering, genders
To engender.
[Middle English gendre, from Old French, kind, gender, from Latin genus, gener-.]
genʹderless adjective
Usage Note: Traditionally, gender has been used primarily to refer to the grammatical categories of "masculine,""feminine," and "neuter"; but in recent years the word has become well established in its use to refer to sex-based categories, as in phrases such as gender gap and the politics of gender. This usage is supported by the practice of many anthropologists, who reserve sex for reference to biological categories, while using gender to refer to social or cultural categories. According to this rule, one would say The effectiveness of the medication appears to depend on the sex (not gender) of the patient, but In peasant societies, gender (not sex) roles are likely to be more clearly defined. This distinction is useful in principle, but it is by no means widely observed, and considerable variation in usage occurs at all levels.