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Added 9 October 2026

male

/meɪl/ noun

In Latin: masculus, mās Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about male at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova).
A person who belongs to the sex that cannot have babies.
The capital of Maldives in the center of the islands.

adjective

Being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that perform the fertilizing function in generation.
a male infant
Characteristic of a man.
a deep male voice
For or pertaining to or composed of men or boys.
the male lead

Origin

From Middle English male, borrowed from Old French malle, masle (Modern French mâle), from Latin masculus (“masculine, a male”), diminutive of mās (“male, masculine”). Doublet of macho. Displaced native Old English wǣpned (“male”, literally “weaponed”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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