system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When a new word develops (slang, tech words, etc.) in a language like French or Spanish, who "decides" if it is a masculine or feminine word?
gpt
It can come from different sources.

* **Original language** : If the word comes from a language where it is already attributed a gender, it sometimes keeps it.  
*e.g.* a "Gelato" (Italian ice cream) is now commonly used in French. Gelato is masculine in Italian, and so it is masculine in French.
* **Users** : The first few person to use a word may attribute it a gender based on their own will. This sometimes leads to inconsistencies.  
*e.g.* a "Job" (work) is now a common word in French. However, it is masculine in France, but feminine in Canada. 
* **Ending** : Most endings are attributed to a gender.  
*e.g.* most words ending with *-a* are feminine in Italian & Spanish. So if the new word ends in *-a*, it will most likely be attributed the feminine gender in those languages.
* **Etymology** : If some related word already exists in the "receiving" language, the new word might take the same gender.
* **Context** : If that new word is a new variant of something that already exists and is bounded to replace an older concept/thing, it might just take the same gender as the older concept/thing, as people already refers to certain things in that field with a certain gender.