Male, a.
Etymology: [F. mâle, OF. masle, mascle, fr. L. masculus male, masculine, dim. of mas a male; possibly akin to E. man. Cf. Masculine, Marry, v. t.]
1. Of or pertaining to the sex that begets or procreates young, or (in a wider sense) to the sex that produces spermatozoa, by which the ova are fertilized; not female; as, male organs.
2. (Bot.)
Capable of producing fertilization, but not of bearing fruit; - - said of stamens and antheridia, and of the plants, or parts of plants, which bear them.
3. Suitable to the male sex; characteristic or suggestive of a male; masculine; as, male courage.
3 more senses
4. Consisting of males; as, a male choir.
5. (Mech.)
Adapted for entering another corresponding piece (the female piece) which is hollow and which it fits; as, a male gauge, for gauging the size or shape of a hole; a male screw, etc. Male berry (Bot.), a kind of coffee. See Pea berry. -- Male fern (Bot.), a fern of the genus Aspidium (A. Filixmas), used in medicine as an anthelmintic, esp. against the tapeworm. Aspidium marginale in America, and A. athamanticum in South Africa, are used as good substitutes for the male fern in medical practice. See Female fern, under Female. -- Male rhyme, a rhyme in which only the last syllables agree, as laid, afraid, dismayed. See Female rhyme, under Female. -- Male screw (Mech.), a screw having threads upon its exterior which enter the grooves upon the inside of a corresponding nut or female screw. -- Male thread, the thread of a male screw.
3 other Webster entries under this spelling
Male, a.
Evil; wicked; bad. [Obs.] Marston.
Male, n.
Same as Mail, a bag. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Male, n.
1. An animal of the male sex.
2. (Bot.)
A plant bearing only staminate flowers.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for male; he lists it under masculine.
Where he writes about it:
We apply male to the sex, masculine to the qualities, especially to the stronger, hardier, and more imperious qualities that distinguish the male sex; as applied to women, masculine has often the depreciatory sense of unwomanly, rude, or harsh; as, a masculine face or voice, or the like; tho one may say in a commendatory way, she acted with masculine courage or decision. — from masculine
Masculine may apply to the distinctive qualities of the male sex at any age; virile applies to the distinctive qualities of mature manhood only, as opposed not only to feminine or womanly but to childish, and is thus an emphatic word for sturdy, intrepid, etc. — from masculine