common gender

American  

noun

1. in English, a noun that is the same whether it is referring to either gender, such as cat, people, spouse.

2. in some languages, such as Latin, a noun that may be masculine or feminine, but not neuter.

3. in some languages, such as Danish, a noun derived from a masculine or feminine word but separate from a neuter form.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

common gender

For example, the most common gender identity written in by the students was "genderfluid," which was given by more than 40% of the write-ins.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2022

I was given opportunity to present to our comparatively small public the freshly minted words, die, chis, and chim, as common gender pronouns, designed to avoid certain awkward situations frequently arising in English composition.

From Time Magazine Archive

To such words, some grammarians have applied the unnecessary and improper term common gender.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown

In the second period, that of Old Danish, bringing us down to 1400, the change of the system of vowels begins to be settled, and masculine and feminine are mingled in a common gender.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 2 "Demijohn" to "Destructor" by Various

"Masculine, Feminine, Neuter and Common," said Mary "O, get out with your common gender," screamed Sal.

From The English Orphans by Mary Jane Holmes