[ˈfiːmeɪl], (Adjective)

Definitions:
- of or denoting the sex that can bear offspring or produce eggs, distinguished biologically by the production of gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes
(e.g: a herd of female deer)


Phrases:
- the female of the species

Origin:
Middle English: from Old French femelle, from Latin femella, diminutive of femina ‘a woman’. The change in the ending was due to association with male, but the words male and female are not linked etymologically

[ˈfiːmeɪl], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a female animal or plant
(e.g: females may lay several hundred eggs in two to four weeks)


Phrases:
- the female of the species

Origin:
Middle English: from Old French femelle, from Latin femella, diminutive of femina ‘a woman’. The change in the ending was due to association with male, but the words male and female are not linked etymologically