FEMININE, in grammar, one of the genders of nouns. As there are but two sexes, so in fact, there can be but two genders.
The feminine gender serves to intimate that the noun belongs to the female. Ix Latin, the feminine gender is most com monly distinguished by the article heec, as it is in the Greek by the article W. In the French, the article la commonly de notes this gender, but we have no suck distinction by articles in the English lan guage.
FEMINEUS,fos, a female flower. By this name Linnmus denominates a flower which is furnished with the pistillum, or female organ of generation, bin wants the stamina or male organ. Female flowers may be produced apart from the male, either on the same root, or on dis tinct plants. The birch and mulberry are examples of the first case ; willow and poplar of the second. Male and fe male flowers separated on the same plant -constitute the class Monoecia of Lin naeus; separated on distinct roots, the class Dioecia.
FEN, a place overflowed with water, or abounding with bogs ; the term is also applied to such boggy lands as are na turally disposed to produce coarse vege tables, from the retention of water. In many parts of the kingdom, since the in troduction of a laudable spirit of improve ment in agriculture, much valuable land -has been redeemed both in England and Ireland from bogs and fens. There are, however, vast tracts of land of this kind still in different districts, in Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Cambridgeshire, and the West of England. In short, there are but few counties without them, which, by proper inclosing, draining, pairing and burning, and the growth of suitable crops, might be rendered highly valuable ; but which at present afford little except reeds, sedge, or rushes and coarse grass.