femelle
French
Etymology
Inherited from Middle French femelle, from Old French femele, from Latin femella.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /fə.mɛl/
audio (file)
Adjective
femelle (plural femelles)
- female
Noun
femelle f (plural femelles)
- female (of a species)
- (Louisiana, Cajun) woman, girl
- (Louisiana, Cajun) wife
Usage notes
- femelle used for humans is considered pejorative in Standard French. The standard term is féminin for the adjective, femme for the noun.
Antonyms
- mâle
Related terms
- fille
- femme
- féminin
Further reading
- “femelle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
- “femelle” in Dictionnaire Français en ligne Larousse.
- “femelle” in Dico en ligne Le Robert.
Middle English
Adjective
femelle
- Alternative form of femele
Noun
femelle
- Alternative form of femele
Middle French
Adjective
femelle m or f (plural femelles)
- female
Coordinate terms
- masle