Butch and femme (French language, meaning woman; English pronunciation: /fam/) are terms used in the lesbian subculture to ascribe or acknowledge a masculine (butch) or feminine (femme) identity with its associated traits, behaviors, styles, self-perception, and so on.

What is the word femme?

1 : woman sense 1a. 2 : a lesbian who is notably or stereotypically feminine in appearance and manner.

What is a femme in slang?

(slang) A person, especially a lesbian or a gay man, who exhibits stereotypical feminine traits, often in an exaggerated way. noun. 1. 1. The definition of a femme is a woman or wife, or a lesbian who acts in a very feminine role, or a gay man who takes on a feminine role.

Where did the word woman come from?

The early Old English (OE) wif – from the Proto-Germanic wibam, “woman” – originally denoted a female, and later became the Middle English (ME) wif, wiif, wyf. By 1175 it was starting to be used to mean a married female, with the two meanings coexisting until the late 16th century.