Meaning and Origin
What does the name Male mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Male
User Submitted Origins
English
50%
Arabic
38%
Native American
6%
African
6%
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
adjective Male
Evil; wicked; bad.
Etymology: L. malus. See Malice
noun Male
Same as Mail, a bag.
adjective Male
Senses
- Of or pertaining to the sex that begets or procreates young, or (in a wider sense) to the sex that produces spermatozoa, by which the ova are fertilized; not female; as, male organs.
- [Bot] Capable of producing fertilization, but not of bearing fruit; -- said of stamens and antheridia, and of the plants, or parts of plants, which bear them.
- Suitable to the male sex; characteristic or suggestive of a male; masculine; as, male courage.
- Consisting of males; as, a male choir.
- [Mech] Adapted for entering another corresponding piece (the female piece) which is hollow and which it fits; as, a male gauge, for gauging the size or shape of a hole; a male screw, etc.
Etymology: F. mâle, OF. masle mascle, fr. L. masculus male, masculine, dim. of mas a male; possibly akin to E. man. Cf. Masculine Marry (v. t.)
noun Male
Senses
- An animal of the male sex.
- [Bot] A plant bearing only staminate flowers.
Other Dictionary Sources
- An animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova)
- The capital of Maldives in the center of the islands
- A person who belongs to the sex that cannot have babies
- Being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that perform the fertilizing function in generation ("a male infant" and "a male holly tree")
- For or pertaining to or composed of men or boys ("the male lead" and "the male population")
- Characteristic of a man ("a deep male voice")
Wiktionary
From Middle English male, a borrowing from Old French masle, malle (Modern French mâle), from Latin masculus (“masculine, a male”), diminutive of mās (“male, masculine”).
- One of the male (masculine) sex or gender.
- A human member of the masculine sex or gender.
- An animal of the sex that has testes.
- A plant of the masculine sex.
male was also found in the following language(s): Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Estonian, German, Italian, Latin, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk