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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.
an organism of the sex or sexual phase that normally produces a sperm cell or male gamete.
Botany. a staminate plant.
of, relating to, or being a male animal or plant.
pertaining to or characteristic of a male person; masculine:
a male voice.
composed of males:
a male choir.
Botany.

designating or pertaining to a plant or its reproductive structure producing or containing microspores.
(of seed plants) staminate.

Machinery. made to fit into a corresponding open or recessed part:
a male plug.
Compare (def 8).
a city in and the capital of the Maldives.
a combining form meaning “evil,” occurring in loanwords from Latin:
malediction.
a republic in the Indian Ocean, SW of India, consisting of about 2000 islands: British protectorate 1887–1965. 115 sq. mi. (298 sq. km).
Capital: Male.
Contemporary Examples

It is not that this subject has been ignored by male directors.
Iran’s Cinematic Revolution Reza Aslan January 27, 2010

Dr. Joshua Rubin and his team discovered that RB is significantly less active in male brain cells.
Why Men May Be More Likely to Get Deadly Brain Cancer Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad August 4, 2014

The story that did the trick, Salinger told a friend in a letter, was called “A male Goodbye.”
What the Leaked J.D. Salinger Stories Reveal About the Author Andrew Romano November 29, 2013

The sign that said “Women do it better” (whatever that means, grumbled a male correspondent, baffled).
Geraldine Ferraro Dies: Memories of Her 1984 Campaign Lynn Sherr March 25, 2011

So the female was in the adult-film world, and the other male was just some model guy.
Porn Star James Deen on His ‘Canyons’ Experience With Lindsay Lohan Marlow Stern January 16, 2013

Historical Examples

Her male acquaintances often brought up the Painful Subject.
People You Know George Ade

In Togo male slaves work in the fields where yams are cultivated.
Folkways William Graham Sumner

The ladies occupied, as usual, the hind seat of the coach, leaving that in front to their male companions.
The Two Admirals J. Fenimore Cooper

They have set aside the old ideas of male dominion and of ascetic purity.
Folkways William Graham Sumner

The skull of the male is 27 per cent heavier than that of fallenda and 58 per cent heavier than that of anguinae.
American Weasels E. Raymond Hall

adjective
of, relating to, or designating the sex producing gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova)
of, relating to, or characteristic of a man; masculine
for or composed of men or boys: a male choir
(of gametes) capable of fertilizing an egg cell in sexual reproduction
(of reproductive organs, such as a testis or stamen) capable of producing male gametes
(of flowers) bearing stamens but lacking a functional pistil
(electronics, mechanical engineering) having a projecting part or parts that fit into a female counterpart: a male plug
noun
a male person, animal, or plant
plural noun
Republic of Maldives, a republic occupying an archipelago of 1087 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Sri Lanka: came under British protection in 1887; became independent in 1965 and a republic in 1968; a member of the Commonwealth. The economy and infrastructure were severely damaged in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Official language: Divehi. Official religion: (Sunni) Muslim. Currency: rufiyaa. Capital: Malé. Pop: 393 988 (2013 est). Area: 298 sq km (115 sq miles) Also known as the Maldive Islands
noun
the capital of the Republic of Maldives, on Malé Island in the centre of the island group. Pop: 90 000 (2005 est)
n.

late 14c., “male human being; male fish or land animal,” from Old French masle (adj.) “masculine, male, adult,” also used as a noun (12c., Modern French mâle), from Latin masculus “masculine, male, worthy of a man” (cf. Provençal mascle, Spanish macho, Italian maschio), diminutive of mas (genitive maris) “male person or animal, male.”
adj.

late 14c., from Old French male, masle “male, masculine; a male” (see male (n.)). Mechanical sense of “part of an instrument that penetrates another part” is from 1660s.

probably from Sanskrit maladvipa “garland of islands,” from mala “garland” + dvipa “island.” Related: Maldivian.

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

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

A man or boy.

male
(māl)
Adjective

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.

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.