Oxford dictionary of english etymology
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Oxford dictionary of english etymology
gendernoun
There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun gender, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
About 40occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 0.94 |
| 1760 | 0.78 |
| 1770 | 1.6 |
| 1780 | 2.3 |
| 1790 | 1.6 |
| 1800 | 1.8 |
| 1810 | 1.7 |
| 1820 | 2.0 |
| 1830 | 1.9 |
| 1840 | 1.6 |
| 1850 | 1.9 |
| 1860 | 1.9 |
| 1870 | 2.0 |
| 1880 | 1.7 |
| 1890 | 1.4 |
| 1900 | 1.1 |
| 1910 | 1.1 |
| 1920 | 1.0 |
| 1930 | 1.0 |
| 1940 | 0.93 |
| 1950 | 0.97 |
| 1960 | 1.3 |
| 1970 | 3.5 |
| 1980 | 14 |
| 1990 | 48 |
| 2000 | 55 |
| 2010 | 55 |
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun gender is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for gender is from around 1390, in St.
Theodora.
It is also recorded as a verb from the Middle English period (1150—1500).
gender is of multiple origins. A borrowing from Fren