male
Noun pluralmales
Pluralmales
- 1Belonging or relating to the sex that typically produces sperm, or to the gender associated with it, including what governs its development, as male hormones.
Census data showed a slightly larger male population in that region.
In many fish, the male parent protects the eggs until they hatch.
UsageMale states sex: a male nurse, the baby is male. Masculine describes traits thought typical of men.
Oppositefemale
Note
In use it is usually all-or-nothing: a bird is male or it is not, and every drone in a hive is male.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Drone honey bees are male. fda.gov
- 2A human being belonging to the masculine sex or gender, such as a boy or man.
In some countries, every male over eighteen must register for military service.
Researchers noted that males in the group reported symptoms later.
UsageMost common in official or research writing: males over eighteen. Everyday talk says men or boys.
Oppositefemale
- 3An animal or plant of the male sex.
Breeders selected the strongest male for mating.
In many bird species, the males display bright plumage.
Oppositefemale
- 4Having or showing features regarded as characteristic of the male sex or gender.
The portrait emphasized a strong, male jawline.
Critics found the novel's tone aggressively male.
Similarmasculine, manly, virile, macho
Note
Here the word describes a trait rather than a category, and it reaches further than masculine or manly. An insect can have typically male coloration, which no one would call manly. Writers often hedge it with typically or stereotypically. That signals a pattern being described, not a rule being claimed, and it is a useful habit when the trait is open to dispute.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- Insects can have coloration characteristic of males. dnr.wisconsin.gov
Less common meanings
- 5Of connectors, tools, or fittings: designed to fit into or penetrate a matching female counterpart.
The technician screwed the male fitting onto the garden hose.
Each male plug slides cleanly into its matching port.
UsagePaired with female: a male plug, the male end of a cable.
Oppositefemale
Note
Hardware names its parts in pairs. A male adapter connects to female pipe threads, and a female flare coupling takes male threads. The word almost never appears without its partner, because the pair exists to tell you which way round two parts go together. The male part is the one that goes in, whether a pin, a plug or an outer thread.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
- Hardware components have corresponding male and female parts. zj-qiangtai.com
- A male threaded adapter connects to female pipe threads. charlottepipe.com
- A female flare coupling accepts male threads. en.wiktionary.org
- The male component fits into its female counterpart. en.wikipedia.org
- Male threads are external threads. geniuspolymers.com
- 6A connector, pipe fitting, or similar part designed to fit into a female counterpart.
The plumber threaded the male into the female socket on the valve.
Sort the hose fittings into males and females before assembling the rig.
Oppositefemale
Note
Workshop instructions often shorten male fitting to plain male, as in "thread the female fittings to the males." The noun corresponds to the connector adjective and nearly always appears beside female in the same sentence. Where the context might not make clear what kind of part is meant, the fuller male adapter or male fitting is the clearer choice.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 1 fact
- The quoted instruction is attested with exactly this wording. en.wiktionary.org
- 7In grammar, of or belonging to the masculine grammatical gender; a less common synonym of masculine.
- 8Of a bacterium: having the F factor and able to transfer DNA to another bacterium that lacks it.
- 9A bacterium that possesses the F factor and can therefore transfer DNA to another cell.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
Latin mās ("male, masculine") had the diminutive masculus ("masculine, a male"), which became Old French malle or masle (modern French mâle). Middle English borrowed it as male, and it took the place of the native Old English wǣpned. Macho comes from the same source, so it is a doublet.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 8 facts
- Latin mās meant “male, masculine”. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin masculus was a diminutive of mās. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin masculus meant “masculine” and “a male”. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin masculus developed into the Old French forms malle and masle. en.wiktionary.org
- The corresponding modern French form is mâle. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English borrowed male from Old French. en.wiktionary.org
- Male displaced the native Old English word wǣpned. en.wiktionary.org
- Macho also derives from Latin masculus and is a doublet of male. en.wiktionary.org