FE'MALE, noun [Latin femella. See Feminine.] 1. Among animals, one of that sex which conceives and brings forth young. 2. Among plants, that which produces fruit; that which bears the pistil and receives the pollen of the male flowers. FE'MALE, adjective 1. Noting the sex which produces young; not male; as a female bee. 2. Pertaining to females; as a female hand or heart; female tenderness. To the generous decision of a female mind, we owe the discovery of America. 3. Feminine; soft; delicate; weak. Female rhymes, double rhymes, so called from the French, in which language they end in e feminine.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI