female.
Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it.
Meaning & usage
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
Characteristic of this sex/gender. (Compare feminine, womanly.)
stereotypically female pastimes, an insect with typically female coloration
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
Feminine; of the feminine grammatical gender.
Lacking the F factor, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this factor (a male).
Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.
Where this word comes from
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”).
One of the female (feminine) sex or gender. An animal of the sex that produces eggs.
One of the female (feminine) sex or gender. A human of feminine gender; a girl or woman.
One of the female (feminine) sex or gender. A plant which produces only that kind of reproductive organ capable of developing into fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate plant.
A bacterium which lacks the F factor, and is able to receive DNA from another bacterium which has that factor.
A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.
Where this word comes from
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”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.