femelle

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French femelle, from Old French femele, from Latin femella.

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 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

1. Alternative form of femele

Noun

femelle

1. Alternative form of femele

Middle French

Adjective

femelle m or f (plural femelles)

1. female

Coordinate terms

• masle