female

Etymology
From, an alteration of Middle English , from , , from , from , diminutive of. The English spelling and pronunciation were remodelled under the influence of, which is otherwise not etymologically related. Contrast, which is etymologically built on (as in person).

Adjective

 * 1) 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, intersex female patients, a trans female vlogger
 * 1) Characteristic of this sex/gender.
 * stereotypically female pastimes, an insect with typically female coloration
 * 1) 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
 * 1)  Feminine; of the feminine grammatical gender.
 * 2)  Lacking the, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this factor (a male).
 * 3)  Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.
 * 1) 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
 * 1)  Feminine; of the feminine grammatical gender.
 * 2)  Lacking the, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this factor (a male).
 * 3)  Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.
 * 1)  Lacking the, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this factor (a male).
 * 2)  Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.
 * 1)  Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.
 * 1)  Having an internal socket, as in a connector or pipe fitting.

Coordinate terms

 * ; androgynous; intersex; non-binary
 * see feminine

Derived terms

 * (see below)

Translations

 * Arabic:
 * Egyptian Arabic: أنثى, نتاية
 * Aramaic:
 * Classical Syriac: ܢܩܒܬܢܝܐ
 * Armenian:
 * Azerbaijani:
 * Basque: eme
 * Belarusian: жано́чы
 * Bulgarian: же́нски
 * Catalan: ,
 * Central Melanau: mahou
 * Cherokee: ᎠᎨᏴ
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:,  ,
 * Czech: ,
 * Dalmatian: femia
 * Danish: hun- or hunlig,  (1,2 & 3)
 * Dutch:
 * Esperanto:
 * Finnish: ,
 * French: ,
 * Galician:
 * Georgian:, მდედრობითი, მდედრი
 * German:
 * Gothic: 𐌵𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌺𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃, 𐌵𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃
 * Greek:
 * Ancient: θῆλυς
 * Guaraní:
 * Haitian Creole: femèl
 * Hebrew:  ,
 * Hindi:
 * Ido: -in
 * Indonesian: ,
 * Interlingua: ,
 * Irish: baineann, baineannach
 * Italian:
 * Japanese:
 * Javanese:
 * Khmer: ស្ត្រីភេទ
 * Kimaragang: tongondu
 * Korean: ,
 * Kumyk: тиши
 * Kurdish:
 * Central Kurdish:
 * Northern Kurdish:
 * Latin:
 * Latvian: sieviešu dzimtes-
 * Lezgi: паб
 * Lithuanian:
 * Macedonian: женски
 * Malay:
 * Jawi: ڤرمڤوان, بتينا
 * Rumi:, betina
 * Manchu: ᡥᡝᡥᡝ
 * Manx: bwoirrin
 * Maore Comorian: she
 * Maori:, uwha , , , kouwha
 * Middle English: femele, femynyne
 * Mongghul: nine
 * Nanai: асиа
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål:, hun-, hunn-, hunlig, hunnlig
 * Nynorsk: kvinneleg, ho-, holeg
 * Occitan: ,
 * Old English: wīflīċ
 * Ossetian: мадӕл
 * Persian:
 * Polish:
 * Portuguese:,  , , , , ,
 * Romanian:, ,
 * Russian:
 * Scottish Gaelic: boireannach, banail
 * Serbo-Croatian:
 * Cyrillic: женски
 * Roman:
 * Sinhalese:
 * Slovak:
 * Slovene:
 * Southern Altai: тижи
 * Spanish: ,
 * Sundanese:
 * Swahili:
 * Swedish:
 * Tabasaran: хпиб
 * Tagal Murut: lupoh, puunan
 * Telugu:
 * Tetum: feton
 * Thai:
 * Tocharian B: klaiññe
 * Tupinambá: kunhã
 * Turkish:
 * Turkmen: urkaçy
 * Ukrainian:
 * Vietnamese:,  ,  ,
 * Volapük:, jimenik
 * Walloon: ;
 * Welsh: ,
 * Yoruba: obìnrin, abo
 * Zazaki:


 * Bulgarian: же́нски
 * Catalan:
 * Danish: hun-
 * French:
 * Galician:
 * Greek:
 * Hungarian: ,
 * Korean: 암형
 * Norwegian: hunn-
 * Polish:
 * Spanish:
 * Swedish: hon-
 * Turkish:
 * Walloon:

Noun

 * 1) One of the female (feminine) sex or gender.
 * 2) A human of the feminine sex.
 * 3) An animal of the sex that produces eggs.
 * 4)  A plant which produces only that kind of reproductive organ capable of developing into fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate plant.
 * 5) A bacterium which lacks the, and is able to receive DNA from another bacterium which has that factor.
 * 6) A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.
 * 1) An animal of the sex that produces eggs.
 * 2)  A plant which produces only that kind of reproductive organ capable of developing into fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate plant.
 * 3) A bacterium which lacks the, and is able to receive DNA from another bacterium which has that factor.
 * 4) A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.
 * 1) A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.
 * 1) A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.

Usage notes

 * Due to its inclusion of non-human animals, some find it dehumanizing and disparaging to refer to female humans as "female(s)" as a noun, especially in non-technical, informal contexts. Other have criticized it as being overly used for women compared to the use of "male(s)" for men.  It is frequently used in police blotters, dispatches, reports, and legal, medical, or physiological documents to encompass girls and women.

Translations

 * Albanian:
 * Gheg: femën
 * Tosk:
 * Arabic:
 * Egyptian Arabic: أنثى, نتاية
 * Moroccan Arabic: نتوة
 * Aramaic:
 * Classical Syriac: ܢܩܒܬܐ
 * Armenian:
 * Asturian:
 * Avar: цӏуяб
 * Azerbaijani:
 * Basque: eme
 * Belarusian: жанчы́на, са́мка, самі́ца
 * Bulgarian: ,
 * Burmese:, ,
 * Carpathian Rusyn: самі́ця, жена́
 * Catalan:
 * Chamicuro: molota
 * Chechen: сте
 * Cherokee: ᎠᎨᏴ
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin:, ,
 * Czech: ,
 * Danish:
 * Dutch:
 * Esperanto:
 * Estonian: emane
 * Finnish:, ,
 * French:
 * Galician:
 * Georgian:
 * German: ,
 * Gothic: 𐌵𐌹𐌽𐌴𐌹𐌽
 * Greek: ,
 * Gujarati:
 * Hebrew:
 * Hindi:, ,
 * Hungarian:
 * Ido:
 * Indonesian: ,
 * Ingrian: nain
 * Ingush: се
 * Interlingua:
 * Irish: baineannach
 * Istriot: fimana
 * Italian:
 * Japanese: ,
 * Javanese:
 * Kannada:
 * Kashubian: samica
 * Kazakh: ұрғашы
 * Khmer: ,
 * Korean: ,
 * Kumyk: тиши
 * Kurdish:
 * Central Kurdish:
 * Kyrgyz:
 * Lao: ຍິງ,, ຕົວເມັຽ
 * Latin:
 * Latvian:, mātīte
 * Lithuanian:, moteriškė, patelė
 * Low German:
 * German Low German:
 * Malay:
 * Jawi: ڤرمڤوان, بتينا
 * Rumi:, betina
 * Manx: bwoirrinagh
 * Maori:
 * Marathi:
 * Middle English: femele
 * Navajo: aʼáád, tsaʼii , baʼáadii
 * Norwegian:
 * Occitan:
 * Odia:
 * Persian:, ,
 * Polish: ,
 * Portuguese:
 * Romanian:
 * Russian: ,
 * Santali: ᱮᱝᱜᱚ
 * Scottish Gaelic: boireannach,, tè
 * Serbo-Croatian:
 * Cyrillic: женка
 * Roman:
 * Sinhalese:
 * Slovak: ,
 * Slovene: ,
 * Southern Altai: тижи
 * Spanish:
 * Swahili:
 * Swedish:
 * Tajik:, мода
 * Thai:, ,
 * Tupinambá: kunhã
 * Turkish: ,
 * Turkmen: aýaal, urkaçy
 * Ukrainian:, сами́ця, са́мка
 * Urdu: مادہ
 * Uyghur: چىشى
 * Uzbek: ,
 * Venetian:
 * Vietnamese: ,
 * Volapük:, jimen
 * Walloon:
 * Welsh:
 * Yiddish: אישה
 * ǃXóõ: qáe


 * Arabic:
 * Aramaic:
 * Classical Syriac: ܢܩܒܬܐ
 * Asturian:
 * Azerbaijani:
 * Czech:
 * Danish:, hundyr
 * Dutch:
 * Esperanto: femalo
 * Finnish:
 * Galician:
 * German:
 * Hindi:
 * Hungarian:
 * Ingrian: imikko
 * Kumyk: тиши
 * Latvian: mātīte
 * Middle English: femele
 * Mongolian: охин амьтан,
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål: ,
 * Nynorsk: ho, hoe, hodyr
 * Polish:
 * Russian:
 * Sorbian:
 * Lower Sorbian: samica, samka
 * Upper Sorbian: sančka
 * Spanish:
 * Swedish:
 * Turkish:
 * Ukrainian: сами́ця, са́мка
 * Volapük:
 * Welsh:


 * Asturian:
 * Danish: hunplante
 * Galician:
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål: hunnplante
 * Nynorsk: hoplante
 * Volapük: jiplan