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[fee-meyl] /ˈfi meɪl/
a person bearing two X chromosomes in the cell nuclei and normally having a vagina, a uterus and ovaries, and developing at puberty a relatively rounded body and enlarged breasts, and retaining a beardless face; a girl or woman.
an organism of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces egg cells.
Botany. a pistillate plant.
of, relating to, or being a female animal or plant.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a female person; feminine:
female suffrage; female charm.
composed of females:
a female readership.
  1. designating or pertaining to a plant or its reproductive structure that produces or contains elements requiring fertilization.
  2. (of seed plants) pistillate.
Machinery. being or having a recessed part into which a corresponding part fits:
a female plug.
Compare male (def 5).
Origin of female
1275-1325; Middle English, variant (by association with male) of femelle < Anglo-French, Old French femel(l)e < Latin fēmella, diminutive of fēmina woman (see -elle); in VL developing the sense “female of an animal”
Related forms
femaleness, noun
antifemale, adjective
unfemale, adjective
Can be confused
female, feminine (see synonym study at the current entry)
1. See woman. 4–7. Female, feminine, effeminate are adjectives that describe women and girls or attributes and conduct culturally ascribed to them. Female, which is applied to plants and animals as well as to human beings, is a biological or physiological descriptor, classifying individuals on the basis of their potential or actual ability to produce offspring in bisexual reproduction. It contrasts with male in all uses: her oldest female relative; the female parts of the flower. Feminine refers essentially to qualities or behaviors deemed by a culture or society to be especially appropriate to or ideally associated with women and girls. In American and Western European culture, these have traditionally included features such as delicacy, gentleness, gracefulness, and patience: to dance with feminine grace; a feminine sensitivity to moods. Feminine is also, less frequently, used to refer to physical features: a lovely feminine figure; small, feminine hands. Effeminate is most often applied derogatorily to men or boys, suggesting that they have character or behavior traits culturally believed to be appropriate to women and girls rather than to men: an effeminate horror of rough play; an effeminate speaking style. See also womanly. Unabridged
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British Dictionary definitions for female


of, relating to, or designating the sex producing gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes (spermatozoa)
of, relating to, or characteristic of a woman: female charm
for or composed of women or girls: female suffrage, a female choir
(of reproductive organs such as the ovary and carpel) capable of producing female gametes
(of gametes such as the ovum) capable of being fertilized by a male gamete in sexual reproduction
(of flowers) lacking, or having nonfunctional, stamens
having an internal cavity into which a projecting male counterpart can be fitted: a female thread
  1. a female animal or plant
  2. (derogatory) a woman or girl
Derived Forms
femaleness, noun
Word Origin
C14: from earlier femelle (influenced by male), from Latin fēmella a young woman, from fēmina a woman
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for female

early 14c., from Old French femelle (12c.) "woman, female," from Medieval Latin femella "a female," from Latin femella "young female, girl," diminutive of femina "woman" (see feminine).

Sense extended in Vulgar Latin from humans to female of other animals. Spelling altered late 14c. on mistaken parallel of male. As an adjective, from early 14c. Reference to sockets, etc., is from 1660s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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female in Medicine

female fe·male (fē'māl')
Of, relating to, or denoting the sex that produces ova or bears young. n.

  1. A member of the sex that produces ova or bears young.

  2. A woman or girl.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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female in Science
  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Having the genitalia or other structures typical of a female organism. Worker ants are female but sterile.

Noun  A female organism.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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