epicene: Meaning and Definition of

ep•i•cene

Pronunciation: (ep'i-sēn"), [key]
— adj.
  1. belonging to, or partaking of the characteristics of, both sexes: Fashions in clothing are becoming increasingly epicene.
  2. flaccid; feeble; weak: an epicene style of writing.
  3. effeminate; unmasculine.
  4. (of Greek and Latin nouns) of the same gender class regardless of the sex of the being referred to, as Latin vulpēs “fox or vixen” is always grammatically feminine.
  5. (of a noun or pronoun) capable of referring to either sex, as attendant, chairperson, Kim, one, or they; having common gender.
—n.
  1. a person or thing that is epicene.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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