female

fe·male

Use female in a sentence

A human female.

adjective

The definition of female is something related to the sex that produces an egg and that can bear children, or the part of a machine, tool or fitting that is hollow so that the male end of the tool can be inserted.
1. Dresses are an example of something that would be described as female clothing.
2. The threaded opening that the protruding male end of a hose sticks into is an example of the female end of the hose.

noun

A female is defined as a person of the sex that produces eggs and can bear young.
Julia Roberts is an example of a female.

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"female." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female>.

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female. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female

female

designating or of the sex that produces ova and bears offspring: biological symbol, ?
of, characteristic of, or suitable to members of this sex; feminine
consisting of women or girls
designating or having a hollow part shaped to receive a corresponding inserted part (called male): said of pipe fittings, electric sockets, etc.
Bot.
1. having pistils, archegonia, or oogonia, but no stamens or antheridia
2. designating or of a reproductive structure or part containing large gametes (eggs) that can be fertilized by smaller, motile gametes (sperms)
3. designating or of any structure or part that produces fruit after it is fertilized

Origin of female

ME, altered after male from femelle from Old French from Classical Latin femella, diminutive of femina, a woman from Indo-European base an unverified form dh?-, to suck, suckle from source Classical Latin fellare, to suck, filius, son, fetus, progeny, Classical Greek th?lazein, to suckle, thele, nipple

a female person; woman or girl
a female animal or plant

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"female." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female>.

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female. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female

female

adjective

a. Of or denoting the sex that produces ova or bears young.
b. Characteristic of or appropriate to this sex in humans and other animals: female hormones; female fashions.
c. Consisting of members of this sex. See Usage Note at lady.
Of or denoting the gamete that is larger and less motile than the other corresponding gamete. Used of anisogamous organisms.
Botany
a. Designating an organ, such as a pistil or ovary, that functions in producing seeds after fertilization.
b. Bearing pistils but not stamens; pistillate: female flowers.
Designed to receive or fit around a complementary male part, as a slot or receptacle: the female end of an extension cord.

noun

A female organism.
A woman or girl.

Origin of female

Middle English alteration ( influenced by male male ) of femelle from Old French from Latin fēmella diminutive of fēmina woman ; see dhē(i)- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

fe′male′ness
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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"female." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female>.

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female. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female

Adjective

In organisms that reproduce sexually, being the gamete that is larger and less motile than the other corresponding gamete (the male gamete) of the same species. The egg cells of higher animals and plants are female gametes.
Possessing or being a structure that produces only female gametes. The ovaries of humans are female reproductive organs. Female flowers possess only carpels and no stamens.
Having the genitalia or other structures typical of a female organism. Worker ants are female but sterile.

Noun

A female organism.

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"female." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female>.

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female. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female

female

female feminine womanlike womanly womanish effeminate ladylike

These adjectives mean of or characteristic of women. Female categorizes any living thing by gender or sex: the female population; a female kitten; a female plant. Feminine refers to what is considered characteristic of women: feminine intuition. Womanlike applies to qualities of a woman: womanlike resolve. Womanly describes qualities regarded as becoming to a woman: womanly sympathy. Womanish suggests qualities associated with or suggestive of women: womanish attitudes. Effeminate applies to men who exhibit attributes traditionally associated with women: an effeminate actor. Ladylike applies to what is regarded as befitting refined or well-mannered women: ladylike manners.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"female." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female>.

APA Style

female. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female

Adjective

(not comparable)

Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs, which in humans and most other mammals is typically the one which has XX chromosomes; belonging to the sex which has larger gametes (for species which have two sexes and for which this distinction can be made).
Belonging to the feminine (social) gender; identifying one's gender as feminine (see gender identity).
(grammar, less common than 'feminine') Feminine; of the feminine grammatical gender.
(figuratively) Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.

Noun

(plural females)

One of the female (feminine) sex or gender.
1. A human member of the feminine sex or gender.
2. An animal of the sex that produces eggs.
3. (botany) A plant which produces only that kind of reproductive organ capable of developing into fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate plant.

Origin

From Old French femele, from Medieval Latin femella (“a female”), from Latin femella (“a young female, a girl”), diminutive of femina (“a woman”). The English spelling was remodelled under the influence of male, which is not etymologically related. Compare man and woman.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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"female." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female>.

APA Style

female. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Female

female - Medical Definition

adj.

1. Relating to or denoting the sex that produces ova or bears young.
2. Characteristic of or appropriate to this sex in humans and other animals: female hormones; female fashions.
3. Consisting of members of this sex.
Relating to or denoting the gamete that is larger and less motile than the other corresponding gamete. Used of anisogamous organisms.
Botany
1. Designating an organ, such as a pistil or ovary, that functions in producing seeds after fertilization.
2. Bearing pistils but not stamens; pistillate: female flowers.

n.