| female | 1. An individual of the sex which conceives and brings forth young, or (in a wider sense) which has an ovary and produces ova. "The male and female of each living thing." (Drayton) 2. <botany> A plant which produces only that kind of reproductive organs which are capable of developing into fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate plant. Origin: OE. Femel, femal, F. Femelle, fr. L. Femella, dim. Of femina woman. See Feminine. 1. Belonging to the sex which conceives and gives birth to young, or (in a wider sense) which produces ova; not male. "As patient as the female dove When that her golden couplets are disclosed." (Shak) 2. Belonging to an individual of the female sex; characteristic of woman; feminine; as, female tenderness. "Female usurpation.'b8 (Milton) "To the generous decision of a female mind, we owe the discovery of America." (Belknap) 3. <botany> Having pistils and no stamens; pistillate; or, in cryptogamous plants, capable of receiving fertilization. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| female catheter | A short, nearly straight catheter for passage into the female bladder. (05 Mar 2000) |
| female condom | <gynaecology> A soft, loose-fitting polyurethane sheath, closed at one end, with flexible rings at both ends. The device is inserted into the vagina by compressing the inner ring and pushing it in. Properly positioned, the ring at the closed end covers the cervix, and the sheath lines the walls of the vagina. The outer ring remains outside the vagina, covering the labia. (04 Jul 1999) |
| female fern | <botany> . A common species of fern with large decompound fronds (Asplenium Filixfaemina), growing in many countries; lady fern. The names male fern and female fern were anciently given to two common ferns; but it is now understood that neither has any sexual character. Synonym: Female, Feminine. We apply female to the sex or individual, as opposed to male; also, to the distinctive belongings of women; as, female dress, female form, female character, etc.; feminine, to things appropriate to, or affected by, women; as, feminine studies, employments, accomplishments, etc. "Female applies to sex rather than gender, and is a physiological rather than a grammatical term. Feminine applies to gender rather than sex, and is grammatical rather than physiological." Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| female gonad | <anatomy> One of two small oval bodies situated on either side of the uterus on the posterior surface of the broad ligament. The structures in which the ova (eggs) are developed and released during ovulation. (05 Jan 1998) |
| female hermaphroditism | More correctly female pseudohermaphroditism, as the term is commonly used; however, it may designate true hermaphroditism, in which overt bodily characteristics are predominantly female. (05 Mar 2000) |
| female homosexuality | Erotic predisposition, or activity, including sexual congress, between two women past the age of puberty. (05 Mar 2000) |
| female infertility | <radiology> Tubal (30%), partial/complete obstruction, intra/peritubal adhesions, ovulatory (30%), anovulation, luteal phase defect, cervical (less than10%), diminished mucus production, infected mucus, sperm antibodies, pelvic / peritoneal (20%), endometriosis, periadnexal adhesions, TB, uterine (less than10%), abnormal morphology, synechiae, endometritis, myomata, other (less than10%), serum antibodies in female, chronic vaginitis (12 Dec 1998) |
| female pattern alopecia | Diffuse partial hair loss in the centroparietal area of the scalp, with preservation of the frontal and temporal hair lines; the most frequent type of androgenic alopecia in women. (05 Mar 2000) |
| female pattern baldness | <dermatology> Hair loss in women that may be associated with aging, hormones (androgens) or genetic predisposition. The pattern of baldness in women is different from that of men. In women there is thinning of the hair all over the scalp, but the frontal hairline is maintained. The hair loss is usually permanent. Treatment has been successful with topical minoxidil in some cases. (27 Sep 1997) |
| female prostate | Term sometimes applied to the periurethral glands in the upper part of the urethra in the female. (05 Mar 2000) |
| female pseudohermaphroditism | Pseudohermaphroditism with skeletal and genital anomalies but with female gonads and an XX karyotype. Synonym: androgynism, androgyny. (05 Mar 2000) |
| female rhymes | Double rhymes, or rhymes (called in French feminine rhymes because they end in e weak, or feminine) in which two syllables, an accented and an unaccented one, correspond at the end of each line. A rhyme, in which the final syllables only agree (strain, complain) is called a male rhyme; one in which the two final syllables of each verse agree, the last being short (motion, ocean), is called female. Female screw, the spiral-threaded cavity into which another, or male, screw turns. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| female sterility | The inability of the female to conceive, due to inadequacy in structure or function of the genital organs. Synonym: infecundity. (05 Mar 2000) |
| female urethra | A canal about 4 cm long passing from the bladder, in close relation with the anterior wall of the vagina and having a long axis that parallels that of the vagina, opening in the vestibule of the vagina posterior to the clitoris and anterior to the vaginal orifice. Synonym: urethra feminina, urethra muliebris. (05 Mar 2000) |