Male
/meɪl/noun
Of or relating to the sex that typically produces small mobile gametes; a male person or animal.
Did you know?English male and female were once paired through Old French, but male ultimately traces back to Latin *mas*, a word tied to sex distinction long before modern biology.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meh₂-
“to be strong, great, or large”
Latin
Latin
mas, maris
“male; a male person or animal”
Old French
OF
masle
“male; masculine”
Middle English
ME
male
“male; masculine”
Modern English
English
male
“of the sex that produces small mobile gametes; a male person or animal”