Question 1 · Quick check
female
CEFRA2
/ˈfiː.meɪl/
adjective
Türkçe translations
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In plain English
- 01
adjective
Of the sex that can produce eggs or give birth.
- 02
adjective
Extra detailCharacteristic of this sex/gender. (Compare feminine, womanly.)
Examples
One adult female can lay 400 to 500 eggs.
Only 16 percent of the teachers of this school are female.
At a glance
Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 1
- Citations
- 5
- Synonyms
- 5
Deep Dive
adjective
Extra meaningsTending to lead to or regulate the development of sexual characteristics typical of this sex.
Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it.
Lacking the F factor, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this factor (a male).
More examples
In contextThe socialist was accompanied by a female interpreter.
female authors, the leading male and female artists, a female bird cooing at a male
stereotypically female pastimes, an insect with typically female coloration
Related
Quick test
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Nearby
Origin
adjective
From Middle English female, an alteration of Middle English femele, from Old French femele, femelle (“female”), from Medieval Latin fēmella (“a female”), from Latin fēmella (“a girl, a young female, a young woman”), diminutive of fēmina (“a woman”). The English spelling and pronunciation were remodelled under the influence of male, which is otherwise not etymologically related. Contrast woman, which is etymologically built on man (as in, “person”).