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female

adj
/ˈfiː.meɪl/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁(y)-der. Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-éh₂ Proto-Italic *θēmanā Proto-Italic *fēmanā Latin fēmina Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin fēmella Old French femelebor. Middle English femele Middle English female English female From Middle English female, an alteration of Middle English femele, from Old French femele, femelle (“female”), from Medieval Latin fēmella (“a female”), from Latin fēmella (“a girl, a young female, a young woman”), diminutive of fēmina (“a woman”). The English spelling and pronunciation were remodelled under the influence of male, which is otherwise not etymologically related. Contrast woman, which is etymologically built on man (as in, “person”).

  1. derived from fēmella
  2. derived from fēmella
  3. derived from femele
  4. inherited from female

Definitions

  1. Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is…

    Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it.

    • female authors, the leading male and female artists, a female bird cooing at a male
    • I turned to [gender-fluid] Alex. "Hey, are you female today? [...] The Skofnung Sword [...] can't be drawn in the presence of women."

  2. Characteristic of this sex/gender. (Compare feminine, womanly.)

    • stereotypically female pastimes, an insect with typically female coloration
    • A travelling shot of a harbour view near Sydney's White Bay moves into a domestic interior as a female voice says, 'There was nowhere else to live except alone.'

  3. Tending to lead to or regulate the development of sexual characteristics typical of this…

    Tending to lead to or regulate the development of sexual characteristics typical of this sex.

    • the female chromosome
    • estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, is produced by both females and males
  4. ›+ 6 more definitions

    1. Feminine

      Feminine; of the feminine grammatical gender.

      • If you are describing a female noun, you must make the adjective feminine by adding an 'e'. If you describe a male noun, you add an 'er'. For neutral nouns you add an 'es'.

    2. Lacking the F factor, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this…

      Lacking the F factor, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this factor (a male).

    3. Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.

    4. One of the female (feminine) sex or gender.

      • Accumulated data indicate that in all species of sharks, the females grow larger than the males.

    5. A bacterium which lacks the F factor, and is able to receive DNA from another bacterium…

      A bacterium which lacks the F factor, and is able to receive DNA from another bacterium which has that factor.

      • During mating, F+ male bacteria transfer the F factor to the recipient females, transforming them into F+ males.

    6. A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.

      • These are the most common type, as they join females of the same diameter together. […] For example, you may need an adapter such as a 3-in. pipe thread (a common thread used to join pipes) female to 2 1⁄2 NH male.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for female. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA