female

Meaning

Adj

1. (not-comparable, usually) Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it.
2. (not-comparable, usually) Characteristic of this sex/gender. (Compare feminine, womanly.)
3. (not-comparable, usually) Tending to lead to or regulate the development of sexual characteristics typical of this sex.
4. (feminine, form-of, not-comparable, usually) Feminine; of the feminine grammatical gender.
5. (not-comparable, usually) Lacking the F factor, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this factor (a male).
6. (figuratively, not-comparable, usually) Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.

Noun

1. One of the female (feminine) sex or gender.
2. One of the female (feminine) sex or gender.
3. One of the female (feminine) sex or gender.
4. A bacterium which lacks the F factor, and is able to receive DNA from another bacterium which has that factor.
5. A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.

Synonyms

woman

👩

feminine

♀️

girl

👧

lady

wife

👰‍♀️

she

👩

queen

👸

female person

dame

womanly

distaff

dam

negative

doe

pistillate

womanlike

daughter

bride

mistress

femaleness

woman’s

women

ladylike

maiden

male

♂️

married woman

missus

Mrs

old woman

outlet

paramour

petticoat

physicist

point

recessed

refined

reproductive

secret

㊙️

shade

shady

sheila

short

signora

socket

spouse

squaw

well-bred

Mrs.

a woman

F

Translations

femelle

♀️

hembra

♀️

femmina

♀️

weiblich

♀️

femenino

♀️

vrouwelijk

♀️

femminile

♀️

féminin

♀️

femme

👩

fêmea

♀️

femella

♀️

Weibchen

vrouw

👩

θηλυκός

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfiː.meɪl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: female

In summary

Etymology tree
Proto-Italic *fēmanā
Latin fēmina
Proto-Indo-European *-lós
Proto-Italic *-elos
Latin -lus
Latin fēmella
Latin fēminader.
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”).

Sentences

The male has a black bill , whereas the female has red on the mandibles .

In another , the female subject could speak Bengali with a poor pronunciation .

Each plant produces either functionally male flowers or functionally female flowers .

Polygamy , dowries and female circumcision were all abolished .