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In humans, the word male can be used in the context of gender, such as for gender role or gender identity of a man or boy. [7] For example, according to Merriam-Webster, "male" can refer to "having a gender identity that is the opposite of female". [23] According to the Cambridge Dictionary, "male" can mean "belonging or relating to men". [24]
The English term "man" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *man-(see Sanskrit/Avestan manu-, Slavic mǫž "man, male"). [4] More directly, the word derives from Old English mann. The Old English form primarily meant "person" or "human being" and referred to men, women, and children alike.
In the Oxford English Dictionary, gender is defined as—in a modern and especially feminist use—"a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes", with the earliest example cited being from 1963. [55]
[2] [3] [4] It is distinct from the definition of the biological male sex, [5] [6] as anyone can exhibit masculine traits. [7] Standards of masculinity vary across different cultures and historical periods. In Western cultures, its meaning is traditionally drawn from being contrasted with femininity.
The word is also used as a synonym for sex, and the balance between these usages has shifted over time. [10] [11] [12] In the mid-20th century, a terminological distinction in modern English (known as the sex and gender distinction) between biological sex and gender began to develop in the academic areas of psychology, sociology, sexology, and ...
Biologically, the sex hormones and associated neurotransmitters that act upon the nucleus accumbens (primarily testosterone, estrogen, and dopamine, respectively) regulate sex drive in humans. [7] Sexual drive can be affected by social factors such as work and family; psychological factors such as personality and stress; also by medical ...
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Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. [1] Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression.. When androgyny refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often refers to conditions in which characteristics of both sexes are expressed in a single individual.