Female refers to the sex that produces eggs or bears offspring in most living things. In humans and many animals, females have biological characteristics like ovaries that produce eggs, and in mammals like humans, females can become pregnant and give birth.

The word describes one of the two main biological categories in most species. Female lions are called lionesses, female chickens are hens, and female cattle are cows. Many species have different names for males and females.

In everyday use, female works as both an adjective and a noun. You might say “a female scientist” (adjective) or simply “a female” (noun), though when talking about people, many prefer using woman or girl as the noun instead.

Scientists use female when discussing biology across species: “The female mosquito is the one that bites humans” or “Female seahorses transfer their eggs to male seahorses, who then carry them.” This makes female particularly useful when comparing how reproduction works in different animals.

The opposite of female is male. Together, these categories describe how most species reproduce, with males and females each contributing different biological components to create offspring.