Male \Male\, a. [F. m[^a]le, 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.
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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.
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3. Suitable to the male sex; characteristic or suggestive of
a male; masculine; as, male courage.
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4. Consisting of males; as, a male choir.
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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.
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Male fern (Bot.), a fern of the genus Aspidium (Aspidium
Filixmas), used in medicine as an anthelmintic, esp.
against the tapeworm. Aspidium marginale in America, and
Aspidium 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.
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