Definition
The quality or state of being girllike; resemblance to or characteristics of a girl.
Etymology
From 'girllike' (girl + -like) plus '-ness' (Old English '-nes', forming abstract nouns from adjectives). The '-ness' suffix became the standard way to nominalize adjectives in English by the Middle English period.
Kelly Says
Girllikeness is a double-derived word—it starts with 'girl,' adds '-like' to make an adjective, then adds '-ness' to turn it back into a noun! This layering of suffixes shows how English recycles its building blocks to create new meanings; we could theoretically create 'boylikeness,' 'doglikeness,' or 'starlikeness' using the same recipe.
Translations
CACatalà
feminitat
fe-mi-ni-tat
CSČeština
ženskost
zhen-kost
DADansk
pigelighed
pee-ge-li-ghed
DEDeutsch
mädchenhafte
mis-chen-ha-f-te
ELΕλληνικά
γυναικειότητα
yi-na-ki-o-ta
ESEspañol
donosura
do-no-sOO-ra
FISuomi
nuoruuden naisellisuus
nuo-ruu-den na-i-se-lis-uus
FRFrançais
féminité
fe-mi-ne-te
HIहिन्दी
लड़कीपन
la-dki-pan
HUMagyar
nőiesség
noy-es-seg
IDBahasa Indonesia
kefemininan
ke-fe-mi-ni-nan
ITItaliano
femminilità
fem-mi-ne-li-ta
JA日本語
少女らしさ
shojo-rashisa
MRMR
महिलात्व
ma-hi-la-tva
MSBahasa Melayu
kebetulan
ke-be-tu-lan
MYမြန်မာ
မိသားစု
mi-tha-sar-su
NLNederlands
vrouwelijkheid
vroo-we-lijk-heid
NONorsk
jentelighet
yen-te-li-get
PLPolski
kobiecość
ko-bee-cho-st
PTPortuguês
feminilidade
feh-min-i-li-da-de
RORomână
feminitate
fe-mi-ni-ta-te
RUРусский
женственность
zhen-st-ven-nost'
SVSvenska
flickaktighet
flick-a-k-tig-het
TEతెలుగు
మహిళాత్మకత
ma-hi-la-at-maka-ta
THไทย
ความเป็นหญิง
khwam-ben-hing
TLTL
pagbabagay
pa-ga-ba-gay
TRTürkçe
kız çocukluğu
kiz co-cuk-lu-gu
UKУкраїнська
жіночність
zhinoch-nist'
URاردو
خواتینیت
kha-wa-ti-nit
VITiếng Việt
nữ tính
nu-tinh
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Abstract noun form of 'girllike' — compounds the essentialism by treating gender-stereotyped traits as a unified quality inherent to girls.
Inclusive Usage
Avoid. Name the specific quality you mean (e.g., 'playfulness', 'youthfulness') rather than invoking a gendered essence.
Inclusive Alternatives
["youthfulness","expressiveness","gentleness"]