Like some nouns: Abbr.

FEM

Think of the grammatical term for words like "actress" or "lioness" that specify a particular gender. This abbreviation often appears in dictionary labels.

This clue is asking for an abbreviation that describes certain nouns—specifically, those that are feminine in grammatical gender. "FEM" is short for "feminine," a term used in linguistics to classify nouns (like "table" in French or "luna" in Spanish) as opposed to masculine or neuter. The "Abbr." in the clue signals that the answer is a shortened form, not the full word. It’s a straightforward abbreviation puzzle with no hidden wordplay.