meɪl adj. & n. --adj. 1 of
the sex that can
beget offspring by
fertilization or insemination (male
child; male dog). 2 of
men or male animals, plants,
etc.;
masculine (the male sex; a male-voice choir). 3 a (of plants or
their parts) containing
only fertilizing organs. b (of plants) thought of as male
because of
colour,
shape, etc. 4 (of parts of
machinery etc.) designed to
enter or
fill the corresponding
female part (a male screw). --n. a male
person or
animal. ømale
chauvinist a
man who is prejudiced
against women or regards women as
inferior. male
fern a
common lowland fern, Dryopteris filixmas. male
menopause a
crisis of potency,
confidence, etc., supposed to
afflict men in
middle life. øømaleness n. [ME f. OF ma(s)le, f. L masculus f. mas a male]