female

1 of 2

adjective

fe·​male ˈfē-ˌmāl How to pronounce female (audio)
1
a(1)
: of, relating to, or being the sex that typically has the capacity to bear young or produce eggs
In a field of milkweed, I watched a female monarch butterfly deposit a single egg on the underside of a leaf.Tom Tyning
A few months later, she became the highest paid female performer on the Great White Way.Susannah McCorkle
(2)
botany : having or producing only pistils or pistillate flowers
a female holly
female inflorescences
b
: having a gender identity that is the opposite of male
c
: made up of usually adult members of the female sex : consisting of females
the female workforce
d
: characteristic of girls, women, or the female sex : exhibiting femaleness
composed for female voices
a female name
e
: designed for or typically used by girls or women
a female glove
f
: engaged in or exercised by girls or women
female suffrage
female political power
g
: having a quality (such as small size or delicacy of sound) sometimes associated with the female sex
female castanets
2
of a rhyme : having an unstressed final syllable : feminine sense 4b
a female rhyme
3
: designed with a hollow or groove into which a corresponding male part fits
the female coupling of a hose
femaleness noun

female

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a female person : a woman or a girl
b
: an individual of the sex that is typically capable of bearing young or producing eggs
2
: a pistillate plant

Did you know?

In the 14th century, female appeared in English with such spellings as femel, femelle, and female. The word comes from the Latin femella, meaning “young woman, girl,” which in turn is based on femina, meaning “woman.” In English, the similarity in form and sound between the words female and male led people to use only the female spelling. This closeness also led to the belief that female comes from or is somehow related to male. However, apart from the influence of male on the modern spelling of female, there is no link between the origins of the two words.

Examples of female in a Sentence

Adjective Most extension cords have a male plug on one end and a female plug on the other. female standards of housekeeping imposed by the women at the vacation cottage weren't especially popular with the men Noun She attended a school where there were more males than females. Females of this species weigh 8 to 10 pounds.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Although kitten season in Northern California doesn’t typically kick off until May, organizers found that over half of the female cats were already pregnant. Sachi Mulkey, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2024 Ably assisted by some friends — a maverick Scotland Yard detective and a female journalist determined to make a name for herself — Veronica and Stoker take death-defying risks in their quest to ensure the dead woman’s murderer is brought to justice. Karen MacPherson, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 Fresh scat, or bear poop, gathered at the nature reserve revealed the identity of his wild mother, a black-and-white female panda that wears a tracking collar and is known as Niuniu. Katie Hunt, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 In the engineering and science spaces, Black female workers make up just 1.8% of the total workforce. Jasmine Browley, Essence, 22 Mar. 2024 Flores is one of a handful of female soul singers in the souldies community. Jessica Lipsky, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 The female beetle bores a tiny, round hole on the underside of a twig and lays eggs inside. Steve Bender, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024 According to Forbes, the We Found Love hitmaker is now the world’s richest female musician, with a $1.4 billion net worth. Jmcclain, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 The man, 31, who attacked two female U.S. tourists close to Germany’s famed Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria last June, admitted to the crimes at the start of the trial in February. Kate Brady, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
The overdose death rate for females declined for the first time in five years, according to the report. CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 The rest of the time, females handle matters on their own terms. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024 Scientists suggest the golden head feathers were rewarded by natural selection, as females chose the most vibrantly colored hybrids to reproduce with. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 The projections show an effect size of no more than 0.2 additional live births per female if pro-natal policies are implemented, which does not suggest a strong, sustained rebound, according to the study. Mira Cheng, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 The report found that happiness has decreased for all age groups in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand since 2006 to 2010, with a particularly notable drop for young people — and young females recorded even lower scores than males. Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 PartyNextDoor’s relationships with women over the years have inspired his moody tunes, but his latest visual flips the script depicting how some females might take advantage of men. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2024 This ranged from 4 to 40 births for females ages 15-19 across counties. Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Mar. 2024 The last dog to die during the annual race was Oshi, a 5-year-old female on musher Richie Beattie’s team, in 2019. Mark Thiessen, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'female.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, alteration of femel, femelle, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French femele, from Medieval Latin femella, from Latin, girl, diminutive of femina

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of female was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near female

Cite this Entry

“Female.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/female. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

female

1 of 2 noun
fe·​male ˈfē-ˌmāl How to pronounce female (audio)
: a female plant or animal

female

2 of 2 adjective
1
a
: of, relating to, or being the sex that bears young or produces eggs
b
: having only seed-producing flowers
a female holly
2
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the female sex
b
: made up of females
femaleness noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English female "a girl or woman," an altered form of femel, femelle (same meaning), from early French femelle and Latin femella, both meaning "a girl or woman," from earlier Latin femella "a young woman, girl," from femina "woman" — related to feminine

Word Origin
In the 14th century, female appeared in English with such spellings as femel, femelle, and female. The word comes from the Latin femella, meaning "young woman, girl," which in turn is based on femina, meaning "woman." In English, the similarity in form and sound between the words female and male led people to use only the female spelling. This closeness also led to the belief that female comes from or is somehow related to male. However, apart from the influence of male on the modern spelling of female, there is no link between the origins of the two words.

Medical Definition

female

1 of 2 noun
fe·​male ˈfē-ˌmāl How to pronounce female (audio)
: an individual that bears young or produces eggs as distinguished from one that produces sperm
especially : a woman or girl as distinguished from a man or boy

female

2 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or being the sex that bears young or produces eggs

More from Merriam-Webster on female

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!