Mas"cu*line (măs"k?*lĭn),
a. [L. masculinus, fr. masculus male,
manly, dim. of mas a male: cf. F. masculin. See
Male masculine.] 1. Of the male sex; not
female.
Thy masculine children, that is to say, thy
sons.
Chaucer.
2. Having the qualities of a man; suitable
to, or characteristic of, a man; virile; not feminine or effeminate;
strong; robust.
That lady, after her husband's death, held the reins
with a masculine energy.
Hallam.
3. Belonging to males; appropriated to, or
used by, males. [R.] "A masculine church."
Fuller.
4. (Gram.) Having the inflections of,
or construed with, words pertaining especially to male beings, as
distinguished from feminine and neuter. See
Gender. -- Mas"cu*line*ly,
adv. -- Mas"cu*line*ness,
n.