female
Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it.
Example
“female authors, the leading male and female artists, a female bird cooing at a male”
Other meanings
Characteristic of this sex/gender. Compare , .
“stereotypically female pastimes, an insect with typically female coloration”
Tending to lead to or regulate the development of sexual characteristics typical of this sex.
“estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, is produced by both females and males”
Synonyms
- feminine
Example sentences
Word history
From Latin "fēmella" (a girl, a young female, a young woman).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “female” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.