Definition of effete adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary



    BrE BrE//ɪˈfiːt//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ɪˈfiːt//
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  1. 1weak; without the power that it once had an effete monarchy
  2. 2(of a man) without strength; looking or behaving like a woman
  3. Word Origin early 17th cent. (in the sense ‘no longer fertile’): from Latin effetus ‘worn out by bearing young’, from ex- ‘out’ + fetus ‘breeding’; related to fetus.
See the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary entry: effete