femme

Definition

A woman, a wife; (now chiefly Canada, US) a young woman or girl.

Etymology

Borrowed from French femme (“woman”). Doublet of feme, femina, and hembra.

Example Sentences

• "Then I turned to him and said, "O my lord, I have that to propose to thee wherein thou must not cross me; and this it is that, when we reach Baghdad, my native city, I offer thee my life as thy handmaiden in holy matrimony, and thou shalt be to me baron and I will be femme to thee.""
• "Theodore J. Flicker and George Kirgo have penned a good script in which Elvis is played off against four femmes […]."
• "Some of the most political dykes in town had already converted, tossing out their Levi's and Birkenstocks in favor of poodle skirts and heels. It was no longer a question of butch vs. femme, liberations vs. oppression. Clothes did not unmake the woman; clothes were just clothes."