I. male ˈmāl, esp before pause or consonant -āəl adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French male, masle, adjective & noun, from Latin masculus, adjective & noun, diminutive of mas, adjective & noun, male
1.
a.
(1) : of, relating to, or being the sex that begets young by performing the fertilizing function in generation : of, relating to, or being the sex that produces relatively small usually motile gametes (as sperms, spermatozoids, spermatozoa) by which the eggs of a female are made fertile : exhibiting maleness
a male animal
male sex organs
— symbol ♂
(2) : staminate ; especially : having only staminate flowers and not producing fruit or seeds
a male holly
a male bittersweet
b.
(1) : of, relating to, or characteristic of one that is male, especially a man : virile
a deep male voice
: having a quality (as strength, vigor, courage) associated with one that is male
full of male energy
spoke to her with male directness
(2) : made up of male individuals, especially men : consisting of males
a male choir
the male population of the city
2. of a gem : having a rich and dark coloring
a male sapphire
3. : masculine 2b(2)
4. : designed for fitting into a corresponding female part which is hollow
a male hose coupling
5. : relating to a dialect or having speech forms used only by men
male language
6. : of, associated with, or being the formal, active, or generative principle of the cosmos — compare yang
Synonyms:
male , masculine , manly , manlike , mannish , manful , and virile all mean belonging to or like a male of the species, especially human. male , opposing female, applies to humans, animals, or plants, and always indicates sex
a male collie
a male willow
a male child
a male chorus
masculine , opposing feminine, is sometimes interchangeable with male
the masculine half of the audience
and is used to distinguish grammatical gender
a masculine noun
a masculine inflection on an adjective
but most commonly applies to qualities that seem especially to distinguish the male from the female
a very masculine voice
the masculine firmness, the quiet force of his style — Henry James
his masculine longing to command — Edith Sitwell
his wife was a great masculine virago — Tobias Smollett
manly , usually opposing boyish, childish, or effeminate, suggests the finer qualities of a man, especially courage, independence, and mature physical characteristics or mental firmness or forthrightness
a manly refusal to avoid difficulties
a boy's love is likely to be divided between a gun and a watch; but the more active and manly choose the gun — H.D.Thoreau
the country, with its rugged virtues and its manly independence — W.G.O'Donnell
a sculptor had a model so perfect in manly symmetry and strength — G.G.Coulton
manlike is often close to human in a general sense
one of the more manlike apes
but is generally used to suggest characteristically masculine qualities or, sometimes, foibles
sturdy, sunburnt creatures, in petticoats, but otherwise manlike — Nathaniel Hawthorne
a boy manlike in stature, strength, and a strong tendency to try to dominate
mannish applies chiefly to women, or things belonging to them, that have certain manlike qualities
a great many women, brave in mannish clothes — Louis Bromfield
at one time bobbed her hair, which had made her head a little too mannish — Edmund Wilson
manful adds to manly a greater stress on sturdiness or resoluteness
we should be shabby fellows if we spent any serious proportion of our 13,000 days in shirking or whining or sponging on the more manful part of mankind — C.E.Montague
worked like a manful soldier — Charles Dickens
a manful handling of a trying situation
virile , stronger than masculine and opposing impotent, suggests qualities belonging to especially well-developed manhood, as marked aggressiveness, masterfulness, forcefulness, or, specifically, male sexuality or procreativeness
the religion is virile, aggressive, and growing — L.C.May
the robust, virile Elizabethan era — Rosette Hargrove
he would have preferred brutality, which was virile, … rather than this sad, sedulous defeat — Audrey Barker
the virile story of a little man, his big wife, and his bigger bull — Atlantic
II. male noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French male, masle, adjective & noun
: an individual (as a man, boy, male animal, staminate plant) that begets young : an individual that produces relatively small usually motile gametes by which the eggs of a female are fertilized : an individual possessing the qualities of maleness : male individual
III. ma·le ˈmälā noun
( plural ma·ler -lər ; or male or males )
Usage: usually capitalized
: a member of a Dravidian animistic people of Bengal