• adj. 女性的；雌性的；柔弱的，柔和的
• n. 女人；[動(dòng)] 雌性動(dòng)物

來自拉丁詞根fe, 吮吸，吸奶，乳汁，詞源同felicity, fecund. -m, 鼻音字母。即喂奶的人，女人。

female

female: [14] The symmetry between female and male is a comparatively recent development. Female started as Latin fēmella, a diminutive form of fēmina ‘woman’ (whence English feminine [14]). This in turn was a derivative of Latin fēlāre ‘suck’, and so etymologically signified ‘person from whom milk is sucked’ (it came ultimately from the Indo-European base *dhēi-, which also produced Latin filia ‘daughter’ and filia ‘son’, source of English filial [15]). Fēmella passed into English via Old French femelle as femele, but as early as the end of the 14th century began to change, by association with male, to female.
=> feminine, filial

female (n.)

early 14c., from Old French femelle "woman, female" (12c.), from Medieval Latin femella "a female," from Latin femella "young female, girl," diminutive of femina "woman" (see feminine).

WHEN the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,
He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside.
But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.

[Kipling]

Sense extended in Vulgar Latin from young humans to female of other animals, then to females generally. Compare Latin masculus, also a diminutive (see masculine). Spelling altered late 14c. in erroneous imitation of male. In modern use usually as an adjective (early 14c.). Reference to implements with sockets and corresponding parts is from 1660s.

1. Valentino was virtually deified by legions of female fans.

瓦倫蒂諾幾乎被眾多的女性崇拜者奉若神明。

來自柯林斯例句

2. I realize there's no consensus on what are male or female values.

我意識(shí)到人們對(duì)什么是男性價(jià)值觀和什么是女性價(jià)值觀并無共識(shí)。

來自柯林斯例句

3. Janis Joplin was the personification of the '60s female rock singer.

賈尼斯·喬普林是20世紀(jì)60年代搖滾女歌手的代表。

來自柯林斯例句

4. Female fans fought their way past bodyguards and tore at his clothes.

女粉絲沖破保安的阻攔，撕扯他的衣裳。

來自柯林斯例句

5. Marty of New York describes herself as a straight female.

紐約的馬蒂稱自己不是女同性戀者。

來自柯林斯例句