male

¹ American  

[meyl] / meɪl /

adjective

1. having or relating to a gender identity that corresponds to a complex, variable set of social and cultural roles, traits, and behaviors assigned to people of the sex that typically produces sperm cells.

2. 1. Biology.  of, relating to, or being an animal or human of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces sperm cells during reproduction.

   2. Botany.  designating or relating to a plant or its reproductive structure producing or containing microspores.

   3. Botany.  (of seed plants) staminate.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of a male person; masculine.

   a male voice.

4. comprising male people.

   a male choir.

5. Machinery.  made to fit into a corresponding open or recessed part.

   a male plug.

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noun

1. a male person.

2. Biology.  an animal, plant, or plant structure that normally produces sperm cells as part of the process of reproduction.

Male ² American  

[mah-ley, -lee] / ˈmɑ leɪ, -li /

noun

1. a city in and the capital of the Maldives.

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male- ³ American  

1. a combining form meaning “evil,” occurring in loanwords from Latin.

   malediction.

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male ¹ British  

/ meɪl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating the sex producing gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova)

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a man; masculine

3. for or composed of men or boys

   a male choir

4. (of gametes) capable of fertilizing an egg cell in sexual reproduction

5. (of reproductive organs, such as a testis or stamen) capable of producing male gametes

6. (of flowers) bearing stamens but lacking a functional pistil

7. electronics mechanical engineering having a projecting part or parts that fit into a female counterpart

   a male plug

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noun

1. a male person, animal, or plant

Malé ² British  

/ ˈmɑːleɪ /

noun

1. the capital of the Republic of Maldives, on Malé Island in the centre of the island group. Pop: 90 000 (2005 est)

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male Scientific  

/ māl /

1. In organisms that reproduce sexually, being the gamete that is smaller and more motile than the other corresponding gamete of the same species (the female gamete). The sperm cells of higher animals and plants are male gametes.

2. Possessing or being a structure that produces only male gametes. The testicles of humans are male reproductive organs. Male flowers possess only stamens and no carpels.

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1. A male organism.

Related Words

See man. Male, masculine, virile are adjectives that describe men and boys or attributes and conduct culturally ascribed to them. Male, which is applied to plants and animals as well as to human beings, is often used as a biological or physiological descriptor, classifying individuals on the basis of their potential or actual ability to inseminate in bisexual reproduction. It contrasts with female in all such uses: his oldest male relative; the male parts of the flower. Masculine refers essentially to qualities, characteristics, or behaviors deemed by a culture or society to be especially appropriate to or ideally associated with men and boys. In American and Western European culture, these have traditionally included features such as strength, forthrightness, and courage: a firm, masculine handshake; a masculine impatience at indecision. Virile implies a vigor and muscularity associated with mature manhood and often carries a suggestion of sexual or procreative potency: his virile good looks; a swaggering, virile walk. See also manly.

Other Word Forms

• antimale noun
• intermale adjective
• maleness noun
• supermale noun

Etymology

Origin of male¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French ma(s)le, from Latin masculus; masculine

Origin of male-¹

From Latin; mal-

Example Sentences

Maro noted that groups of male chimpanzees often gather high in the canopy of F. musuco trees to eat fruit before heading out on patrols along the borders of their territory.

From Science Daily

But because she’s telling the worst men what they want to hear, Stuckey has created space for herself to live out the usually male role of being the pompous bully who will brook no dissent.

From Salon

The SUV’s 34-year-old male driver — the sole person in the vehicle — was taken to a local trauma center and was in critical condition, Middleton said.

From Los Angeles Times

The demonstrators oppose the Home Office's now delayed plan to temporarily house up to 540 male asylum seekers at an army training camp on the outskirts of Crowborough.

From BBC

By the end of the decade, the locks of some male office workers touched their collars, a once-unthinkable length.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• boy
• father
• guy