femelle

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French femelle, from Old French femele, from Latin fēmella f.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fə.mɛl/

• Audio:

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Adjective

femelle (plural femelles)

1. female

Noun

femelle f (plural femelles)

1. female (of a species)
2. (Louisiana, Cajun) woman, girl
3. (Louisiana, Cajun) wife

Usage notes

• femelle used for humans is considered pejorative in Standard French. The standard term is féminin for the adjective, femme f for the noun.

Antonyms

• mâle

Related terms

• fille f
• femme f
• féminin

Descendants

• → Romanian: femelă f

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

1. Alternative form of femele

Noun

femelle

1. Alternative form of femele

Middle French

Etymology

Inherited from Old French femele, from Latin femella.

Cognate with Middle English femele.

Adjective

femelle m or f (plural femelles)

1. female

Coordinate terms

• masle

Related terms

• femmelette f

Descendants

• French: femelle
  • → Romanian: femelă f