English
femboy
Femboy comes from Latin fēmina ‘woman’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- ‘to suckle, nurse’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁(y)-‘to suckle, nurse’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-éh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θēmanāreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*fēmanāreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfēmina‘woman’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfēminīnus
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400feminin
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500femynyne
- English1500–presentfeminine
- Englishearliest quotation 2015femboy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁(y)-‘to suckle, nurse’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-éh₂reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θēmanāreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*fēmanāreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfēmina‘woman’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfēminīnus
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400feminin
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500femynyne
- English1500–presentfeminine
- Englishearliest quotation 2015femboy
Earliest quotation: 2015, Charles Cadman: “A Thai boy is allowed to be effeminate. Such…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- ‘to suckle, nurse’
doe, tyre, fetus, dai, felicity, fawn, filial, fellatio, fecundity, dahi, 29 more
through Latin fēmina ‘woman’
female, femme, effeminate, 8 more
through Latin fēminīnus
through Old French feminin
through Middle English femynyne
Today it means
noun A (typically young) male or non-binary individual who adopts a feminine aesthetic and has an androgynous appearance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)- / femboy