masc.

Writing & Everyday abbreviation · Grammar and Dictionary

masc. stands for Masculine, a grammar and dictionary abbreviation.

Indicates masculine grammatical gender or a male form of a word, such as Spanish "el libro" or English "widower." Bilingual dictionaries use it constantly for gendered languages.

Example: libro (n. masc.) Spanish for "book," plural libros: "el libro rojo"

Usage notes

Many languages, including French, Spanish and Arabic, assign masculine or feminine gender to every noun, often with no link to biological sex. German, Latin and Russian add a neuter gender. Bilingual dictionaries commonly shorten the label further to m.

Related abbreviations

More grammar and dictionary abbreviations

• interrog. – Interrogative
• IPA – International Phonetic Alphabet
• It. – Italian
• joc. – Jocular
• Lat. – Latin
• lit. – Literally
• ME – Middle English
• n. – Noun
• neut. – Neuter
• nom. – Nominative
• NP – Noun phrase
• obj. – Object

See all 93 grammar and dictionary abbreviations →

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