Etymology Map
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Gender

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means the state of being male or female; a grammatical class

Where does the word "gender" come from? It comes from Latin genus, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
genus
Latin · ancient
"kind, race"
the root of 'genre' and 'general'
2
Stage 2 of 3
gendre
Old French · medieval
"kind"
used for grammatical classes
3
Stage 3 of 3
gender
English · 1300s
"kind; grammatical class"
the social sense dates from the 1900s
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Read the full story

Gender’s story begins in Latin: genus meant “kind, race.” The root of 'genre' and 'general'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as gendre. Used for grammatical classes. It reached English by 1300s as gender. The social sense dates from the 1900s. Today, gender means the state of being male or female; a grammatical class.