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supermale

 - 6 dictionary results

male

  [meyl]
Use supermale in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person bearing an X and Y chromosome pair in the cell nuclei and normally having a penis, scrotum, and testicles, and developing hair on the face at adolescence; a boy or man.
2. an organism of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces a sperm cell or male gamete.
3. Botany. a staminate plant.
–adjective
4. of, pertaining to, or being a male animal or plant.
5. pertaining to or characteristic of a male person; masculine: a male voice.
6. composed of males: a male choir.
7. Botany.
a. designating or pertaining to a plant or its reproductive structure producing or containing microspores.
b. (of seed plants) staminate.
8. Machinery. made to fit into a corresponding open or recessed part: a male plug. Compare female (def. 8).
Origin:
1300–50; ME < MF ma(s)le < L masculus. See masculine

Related forms:
maleness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See man. 4–7. Male, masculine, virile are adjectives that describe men and boys or attributes and conduct culturally ascribed to them. Male, which is applied to plants and animals as well as to human beings, is a biological or physiological descriptor, classifying individuals on the basis of their potential or actual ability to inseminate in bisexual reproduction. It contrasts with female in all such uses: his oldest male relative; the male parts of the flower. Masculine refers essentially to qualities, characteristics, or behaviors deemed by a culture or society to be especially appropriate to or ideally associated with men and boys. In American and Western European culture, these have traditionally included features such as strength, forthrightness, and courage: a firm, masculine handshake; a masculine impatience at indecision. Virile implies a vigor and muscularity associated with mature manhood and often carries a suggestion of sexual or procreative potency: his virile good looks; a swaggering, virile walk. See also manly.

Antonyms:
female.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

male  (n.)
1373, from O.Fr. masle (Fr. mâle), from L. masculus "masculine, male" (cf. Prov. mascle, Sp. macho, It. maschio), dim. of mas (gen. maris) "male person or animal, male." Mechanical sense of "part of an instrument that penetrates another part" is from 1856.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2male
Function: adjective
1 : of, relating to, or being the sex that produces gametes which fertilize the eggs of female
2 : designed for fitting into a corresponding hollow part
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

male (māl)
adj.
Of, relating to, or designating the sex that has organs to produce spermatozoa for fertilizing ova. n.

  1. A member of the sex that begets young by fertilizing ova.

  2. A man or boy.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
male   (māl)  Pronunciation Key 
Adjective  

  1. In organisms that reproduce sexually, being the gamete that is smaller and more motile than the other corresponding gamete of the same species (the female gamete). The sperm cells of higher animals and plants are male gametes.

  2. Possessing or being a structure that produces only male gametes. The testicles of humans are male reproductive organs. Male flowers possess only stamens and no carpels.


Noun   A male organism.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

supermale

relatively common human sex chromosome anomaly in which a male has two Y chromosomes rather than one. It occurs in 1 in 500-1,000 live male births, and individuals with the anomaly are often characterized by tallness and severe acne and sometimes by skeletal malformations and mental deficiency. It has been suggested that the presence of an extra Y chromosome in an individual may cause him to be more aggressive and prone to criminal behaviour, a condition called the "supermale" syndrome. Studies of prison populations have tended to confirm this hypothesis; but subsequent studies of the general population, especially those in which affected individuals were observed from early childhood over a long period of time, have cast serious doubt on the validity of linking the chromosomal anomaly directly to behavioral abnormalities

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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