Female

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Female \Fe"male\, n. [OE. femel, femal, F. femelle, fr. L.
     femella, dim. of femina woman. See {Feminine}.]
     1. An individual of the sex which conceives and brings forth
        young, or (in a wider sense) which has an ovary and
        produces ova.
        [1913 Webster]


  
              The male and female of each living thing. --Drayton.
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     2. (Bot.) A plant which produces only that kind of
        reproductive organs which are capable of developing into
        fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate
        plant.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Female \Fe"male\, a.
     1. Belonging to the sex which conceives and gives birth to
        young, or (in a wider sense) which produces ova; not male.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              As patient as the female dove
              When that her golden couplets are disclosed. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Belonging to an individual of the female sex;
        characteristic of woman; feminine; as, female tenderness.
        "Female usurpation." --Milton.
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              To the generous decision of a female mind, we owe
              the discovery of America.             --Belknap.
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     3. (Bot.) Having pistils and no stamens; pistillate; or, in
        cryptogamous plants, capable of receiving fertilization.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Female rhymes} (Pros.), double rhymes, or rhymes (called in
        French feminine rhymes because they end in e weak, or
        feminine) in which two syllables, an accented and an
        unaccented one, correspond at the end of each line.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: A rhyme, in which the final syllables only agree
           (strain, complain) is called a male rhyme; one in which
           the two final syllables of each verse agree, the last
           being short (motion, ocean), is called female. --Brande
           & C.
  
     {Female screw}, the spiral-threaded cavity into which
        another, or male, screw turns. --Nicholson.
  
     {Female fern} (Bot.), a common species of fern with large
        decompound fronds ({Asplenium Filixf[ae]mina}), growing in
        many countries; lady fern.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The names male fern and female fern were anciently
           given to two common ferns; but it is now understood
           that neither has any sexual character.
  
     Syn: {Female}, {Feminine}.
  
     Usage: We apply female to the sex or individual, as opposed
            to male; also, to the distinctive belongings of women;
            as, female dress, female form, female character, etc.;
            feminine, to things appropriate to, or affected by,
            women; as, feminine studies, employments,
            accomplishments, etc. "Female applies to sex rather
            than gender, and is a physiological rather than a
            grammatical term. Feminine applies to gender rather
            than sex, and is grammatical rather than
            physiological." --Latham.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  female
       adj 1: being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces
              fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring
              develop; "a female heir"; "female holly trees bear the
              berries" [ant: {androgynous}, {male}]
       2: characteristic of or peculiar to a woman; "female
          sensitiveness"; "female suffrage" [syn: {distaff}]
       3: for or composed of women or girls; "the female lead in the
          play"; "a female chorus"
       n 1: an animal that produces gametes (ova) that can be fertilized
            by male gametes (spermatozoa) [ant: {male}]
       2: a person who belongs to the sex that can have babies [syn: {female
          person}] [ant: {male}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  22 Moby Thesaurus words for "female":
     distaff, female being, feminine, gentlewomanlike, girlish, gynecic,
     gynecoid, gynic, her, kittenish, ladylike, little-girlish,
     maidenly, matronal, matronlike, matronly, muliebral, petticoat,
     she, womanish, womanlike, womanly
  
  

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  FEMALE, n.  One of the opposing, or unfair, sex.
  
      The Maker, at Creation's birth,
      With living things had stocked the earth.
      From elephants to bats and snails,
      They all were good, for all were males.
      But when the Devil came and saw
      He said:  "By Thine eternal law
      Of growth, maturity, decay,
      These all must quickly pass away
      And leave untenanted the earth
      Unless Thou dost establish birth" --
      Then tucked his head beneath his wing
      To laugh -- he had no sleeve -- the thing
      With deviltry did so accord,
      That he'd suggested to the Lord.
      The Master pondered this advice,
      Then shook and threw the fateful dice
      Wherewith all matters here below
      Are ordered, and observed the throw;
      Then bent His head in awful state,
      Confirming the decree of Fate.
      From every part of earth anew
      The conscious dust consenting flew,
      While rivers from their courses rolled
      To make it plastic for the mould.
      Enough collected (but no more,
      For niggard Nature hoards her store)
      He kneaded it to flexible clay,
      While Nick unseen threw some away.
      And then the various forms He cast,
      Gross organs first and finer last;
      No one at once evolved, but all
      By even touches grew and small
      Degrees advanced, till, shade by shade,
      To match all living things He'd made
      Females, complete in all their parts
      Except (His clay gave out) the hearts.
      "No matter," Satan cried; "with speed
      I'll fetch the very hearts they need" --
      So flew away and soon brought back
      The number needed, in a sack.
      That night earth range with sounds of strife --
      Ten million males each had a wife;
      That night sweet Peace her pinions spread
      O'er Hell -- ten million devils dead!
                                                                    G.J.