[[File:Mars symbol.svg|thumb|The symbol of the Roman god [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]] (god of war) is often used to represent the male sex. It also stands for the planet [[Mars]] and is the [[alchemical symbol]] for [[iron]].]]
'''Male''' ([[MarsPlanet symbolsymbols|symbol]]: [[♂]]) is the [[sex]] of an [[organism]] that produces the [[gamete]] (sex cell) known as [[sperm]], which fuses with the larger [[female]] gamete,<ref name=Lehtonen2014>{{Cite journal|last1=Lehtonen|first1=Jussi|last2=Parker|first2=Geoff A.|date=2014-12-01|title=Gamete competition, gamete limitation, and the evolution of the two sexes|url=https://academic.oup.com/molehr/article/20/12/1161/1062990|journal=Molecular Human Reproduction|language=en|volume=20|issue=12|pages=1161–1168|doi=10.1093/molehr/gau068|pmid=25323972|issn=1360-9947|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Fusco2019>{{Cite book|last1=Fusco|first1=Giuseppe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AKGsDwAAQBAJ&q=the+biology+of+reproduction+define+sex|title=The Biology of Reproduction|last2=Minelli|first2=Alessandro|date=2019-10-10|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-49985-9|pages=111–113|language=en}}</ref><ref name=Hine2015>{{Cite book |last1=Hine |first1=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gMf9CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA354 |title=A Dictionary of Biology |last2=Martin |first2=Elizabeth |date=2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-871437-8 |page=354 |language=en}}</ref> or [[Egg cell|ovum]], in the process of [[fertilizationfertilisation]]. A male organism cannot [[sexual reproduction|reproduce sexually]] without access to at least one ovum from a female, but some organisms can reproduce both sexually and [[Asexual reproduction|asexually]].<ref name=Curtis2010>{{Cite journal|last=Lively|first=Curtis M.|date=2010-03-01|title=A Review of Red Queen Models for the Persistence of Obligate Sexual Reproduction|url=https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/101/suppl_1/S13/757712|journal=Journal of Heredity|language=en|volume=101|issue=suppl_1|pages=S13–S20|doi=10.1093/jhered/esq010|pmid=20421322|issn=0022-1503|doi-access=free}}</ref> Most male [[mammal]]s, including male humans, have a [[Y chromosome]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reference|first=Genetics Home|title=Y chromosome|url=https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/chromosome/Y|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Genetics Home Reference|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Y Chromosome|url=https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Y-Chromosome|access-date=2020-09-07|website=Genome.gov|language=en}}</ref> which codes for the production of larger amounts of [[testosterone]] to develop [[male reproductive organs]].
A male organism cannot [[sexual reproduction|reproduce sexually]] without access to at least one ovum from a female, but some organisms can reproduce both sexually and [[Asexual reproduction|asexually]].<ref name=Curtis2010>{{Cite journal|last=Lively|first=Curtis M.|date=2010-03-01|title=A Review of Red Queen Models for the Persistence of Obligate Sexual Reproduction|url=https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/101/suppl_1/S13/757712|journal=Journal of Heredity|language=en|volume=101|issue=suppl_1|pages=S13–S20|doi=10.1093/jhered/esq010|pmid=20421322|issn=0022-1503|doi-access=free}}</ref> Most male [[mammal]]s, including male humans, have a [[Y chromosome]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reference|first=Genetics Home|title=Y chromosome|url=https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/chromosome/Y|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Genetics Home Reference|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Y Chromosome|url=https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Y-Chromosome|access-date=2020-09-07|website=Genome.gov|language=en}}</ref> which codes for the production of larger amounts of [[testosterone]] to develop [[male reproductive organs]].
In humans, the word ''male'' can also be used to refer to [[gender]], in the social sense of [[gender role]] or [[gender identity]].<ref name=palazzani/>{{Better source needed|reason=The source does not directly state this information, and only uses the terms in passing.|date=April 2023}} The use of "male" in regardsregard to sex and gender has been subject to [[Sex–gender distinction|discussion]].
== Overview ==
== Evolution ==
{{See also|Evolution of sexual reproduction|Sex#Evolution of sex}}
The [[Anisogamy#Evolution|evolution of anisogamy]] led to the evolution of male and female function.<ref name=Bachtrogetal>{{Cite journal|last1=Bachtrog|first1=Doris|last2=Mank|first2=Judith E.|last3=Peichel|first3=Catherine L.|last4=Kirkpatrick|first4=Mark|last5=Otto|first5=Sarah P.|last6=Ashman|first6=Tia-Lynn|last7=Hahn|first7=Matthew W.|last8=Kitano|first8=Jun|last9=Mayrose|first9=Itay|last10=Ming|first10=Ray|last11=Perrin|first11=Nicolas|date=2014-07-01|title=Sex Determination: Why So Many Ways of Doing It?|journal=PLOS Biology|language=en|volume=12|issue=7|pages=e1001899|doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001899|issn=1545-7885|pmc=4077654|pmid=24983465 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Before the evolution of anisogamy, [[Mating type|mating typestype]]s in a species were [[Isogamy|isogamous]]: the same size and both could move, catalogued only as "+" or "-" types.<ref name=Sawada/>{{rp|216}} In anisogamy, the mating type is called a gamete. The male gamete is smaller than the female gamete, and usually mobile.<ref name="Kumar-20192">{{Cite encyclopedia|entry=Anisogamy|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior|publisher=Springer International Publishing|place=Cham |date=2019|pages=1–5|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_340-1|isbn=978-3-319-47829-6 |vauthors=Kumar R, Meena M, Swapnil P|title=Anisogamy |veditors=Vonk J, Shackelford T}}</ref> Anisogamy remains poorly understood, as there is no fossil record of its emergence. Numerous theories exist as to why anisogamy emerged. Many share a common thread, in that larger female gametes are more likely to survive, and that smaller male gametes are more likely to find other gametes because they can travel faster. Current models often fail to account for why isogamy remains in a few species.<ref name="Togashi-2011">{{Cite book |last1=Togashi |first1=Tatsuya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5eOvRTIuLXMC&pg=PA1 |title=The Evolution of Anisogamy: A Fundamental Phenomenon Underlying Sexual Selection |last2=Cox |first2=Paul Alan |date=2011-04-14 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-50082-1 |pages=1–15 |language=en}}</ref> Anisogamy appears to have evolved multiple times from isogamy; for example, female [[Volvocales]] (a type of green algae) evolved from the plus mating type.<ref name="Togashi-2011" /><ref name=Sawada>{{Cite book |last1=Sawada |first1=Hitoshi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Adm6BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA222 |title=Sexual Reproduction in Animals and Plants |last2=Inoue |first2=Naokazu |last3=Iwano |first3=Megumi |date=2014-02-07 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-4-431-54589-7 |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|222}} Although sexual evolution emerged at least 1.2 billion years ago, the lack of anisogamous fossil records make it hard to pinpoint when males evolved.<ref name="PB-2000">{{cite journal|last=Butterfield|first=Nicholas J.|date=2000|title=Bangiomorpha pubescens n. gen., n. sp.: implications for the evolution of sex, multicellularity, and the Mesoproterozoic/Neoproterozoic radiation of eukaryotes|url=http://mr.crossref.org/iPage?doi=10.1666%2F0094-8373%282000%29026%3C0386%3ABPNGNS%3E2.0.CO%3B2|journal=[[Paleobiology (journal)|Paleobiology]]|volume=26|issue=3|page=386|doi=10.1666/0094-8373(2000)026<0386:BPNGNS>2.0.CO;2|bibcode=2000Pbio...26..386B |s2cid=36648568 |access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref> One theory suggests male evolved from the dominant mating type (called mating type minus).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Togashi|first1=Tatsuya|last2=Bartelt|first2=John L.|last3=Yoshimura|first3=Jin|last4=Tainaka|first4=Kei-ichi|last5=Cox|first5=Paul Alan|date=2012-08-21|title=Evolutionary trajectories explain the diversified evolution of isogamy and anisogamy in marine green algae|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|volume=109|issue=34|pages=13692–13697|doi=10.1073/pnas.1203495109|issn=0027-8424|pmc=3427103|pmid=22869736|bibcode=2012PNAS..10913692T|doi-access=free}}</ref>
== Symbol, etymology, and usage <span class="anchor" id="Symbol and usage"></span>==
=== Symbol ===
A common [[gender symbol|symbol]] used to represent the male sex is the [[Mars symbol]] ♂, a circle with an arrow pointing [[Ordinal direction|northeast]]. The [[Unicode]] code-point is:
:{{unichar|2642|MALE SIGN|html=}}
The symbol is identical to the planetary symbol of [[Mars]]. It was first used to denote sex by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1751. The symbol is sometimes seen as a stylized representation of the shield and spear of the Roman god [[Mars (mythology)|Mars]]. According to [[William T. Stearn]], however, this derivation is "fanciful" and all the historical evidence favours "the conclusion of the French classical scholar [[Claude de Saumaise]] (Salmasius, 1588{{ndash}}1683)" that it is derived from ''θρ'', the contraction of a Greek name for the planet Mars, which is ''Thouros''.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 1217734|title = The Origin of the Male and Female Symbols of Biology|journal = Taxon|volume = 11|issue = 4|pages = 109–113|last1 = Stearn|first1 = William T.|year = 1962|doi = 10.2307/1217734}}</ref>
=== Etymology ===
Borrowed from [[Old French]] ''masle'', from [[Latin]] ''masculus'' ("masculine, male, worthy of a man"), diminutive of ''mās'' ("male person or animal, male").<ref>{{cite web |title=male {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of male by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/male#etymonline_v_6731 |website=www.etymonline.com |publisher=[[Etymonline]] |access-date=23 July 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Usage ===
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]].<ref name=palazzani>{{cite book |authorlast1=Palazzani |firstfirst1=Laura |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8bbP6D7U2UC&pg=PA5 |title=Gender in Philosophy and Law |last2=Bailes |first2=Victoria |last3=Fella |first3=Marina |publisher=Dordrecht : Springer |year=2012 |isbn=9789400749917 |series=SpringerBriefs in law |page=v |quote='gender' means human gender, male/female gender}} (eBook)</ref> For example, according to Merriam-Webster, "male" can refer to "having a gender identity that is the opposite of female".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of MALE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/male |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=www.merriamMerriam-webster.comWebster |language=en}}</ref> According to the Cambridge Dictionary, "male" can mean "belonging or relating to men".<ref>{{Cite web |title=male |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/male |website=Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref>
''Male'' can also refer to [[gender of connectors and fasteners|a shape of connectors]].<ref>{{cite book| author =J. Richard Johnson | title= How to Build Electronic Equipment | year =1962 | page=167 | quote=To minimize confusion, the connector portions with projecting prongs are referred to as the 'male' portion, and the sockets as the 'female' portion.| publisher = Rider | location = New York}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author =Richard Ferncase | title =Film and Video Lighting Terms and Concepts | year=2013 | page=96 | quote= female[:] Refers to a socket type connector, which must receive a male connector | isbn= 9780240801575 | publisher = Hoboken Taylor and Francis}}</ref>
== Males across species ==
Species that are divided into females and males are classified as [[Gonochorism|gonochoric]] in animals, as [[Dioecy|dioecious]] in [[seed plants]]<ref name=Fusco2019/> and as [[MonoicousDioicy|dioicous]] in [[cryptogam]]s.<ref name="ShawGoffinet">{{cite book |author=Buck WR |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fuOKCOlRngkC |title=Bryophyte Biology |last2=Goffinet |first2=B |date=August 2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-66794-4 |editor=Shaw AJ & Goffinet B |location=New York |chapter=Morphology and classification of mosses}}</ref>{{rp|82}}
Males can coexist with hermaphrodites, a [[sexual system]] called [[androdioecy]]. They can also coexist with females and hermaphrodites, a sexual system called [[trioecy]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Leonard |first=Janet L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0rWZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 |title=Transitions Between Sexual Systems: Understanding the Mechanisms of, and Pathways Between, Dioecy, Hermaphroditism and Other Sexual Systems |date=2019-05-21 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-94139-4 |pages=1–3 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Genetic determination ===
Most [[mammal]]s, including [[human]]s, are genetically determined as such by the [[XY sex-determination system]] where males have an XY (as opposed to XX) sexin females) [[chromosomesex chromosomes]]. It is also possible in a variety of species, including humans, to be [[XX male]] or have other [[karyotypes]]. During [[reproduction]], a male can give either an X sperm or a Y sperm, while a female can only give an X egg. A Y sperm and an X egg produce a male, while an X sperm and an X egg produce a [[female]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-07-17|title=43.1C: Sex Determination|url=https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_General_Biology_(Boundless)/43%3A_Animal_Reproduction_and_Development/43.1%3A_Reproduction_Methods/43.1C%3A_Sex_Determination|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Biology LibreTexts|language=en}}</ref>
The part of the Y-chromosome which is responsible for maleness is the sex-determining region of the Y-chromosome, the [[SRY]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reference|first=Genetics Home|title=SRY gene|url=https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/SRY|access-date=2020-07-22|website=Genetics Home Reference|language=en}}</ref> The SRY activates [[Sox9]], which forms feedforward loops with [[FGF9]] and [[PGD2|PGD<sub>2</sub>]] in the [[gonad]]s, allowing the levels of these genes to stay high enough in order to cause male development;<ref name="Moniot">{{cite journal | last1=Moniot | first1=Brigitte | last2=Declosmenil | first2=Faustine | last3=Barrionuevo | first3=Francisco | last4=Scherer | first4=Gerd | last5=Aritake | first5=Kosuke | last6=Malki | first6=Safia | last7=Marzi | first7=Laetitia | last8=Cohen-Solal | first8=Ann | last9=Georg | first9=Ina | last10=Klattig | first10=Jürgen | last11=Englert | first11=Christoph | last12=Kim | first12=Yuna | last13=Capel | first13=Blanche | last14=Eguchi | first14=Naomi | last15=Urade | first15=Yoshihiro | last16=Boizet-Bonhoure | first16=Brigitte | last17=Poulat | first17=Francis | year=2009 | title=The PGD2 pathway, independently of FGF9, amplifies SOX9 activity in Sertoli cells during male sexual differentiation| journal=Development| volume=136| issue=11| pages=1813–1821| pmid = 19429785 | doi=10.1242/dev.032631| pmc=4075598 }}</ref> for example, Fgf9 is responsible for development of the [[spermatic cord]]s and the multiplication of [[Sertoli cell]]s, both of which are crucial to male sexual development.<ref>{{Cite journal
| pmid = 16700629
| pmc =1463023
| doi-access = free
}}</ref>
The [[ZW sex-determination system]], where males have a ZZ (as opposed to ZW in females) sex chromosomechromosomes, may be found in [[bird]]s and some [[insect]]s (mostly [[Lepidoptera|butterflies and moths]]) and other organisms. Members of the insect order [[Hymenoptera]], such as [[ant]]s and [[bee]]s, are often determined by [[haplodiploidy]],<ref name=Bachtrogetal/> where most males are [[haploid]] and females and some sterile males are [[diploid]]. However, fertile diploid males may still appear in some species, such as ''[[Cataglyphis cursor]]''.<ref name="dip">{{cite journal |last1=Doums |first1=Claudie |title=Fertile diploid males in the ant Cataglyphis cursor: a potential cost of thelytoky? |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-013-1606-6 |journal=Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology |year=2013 |volume=67 |issue=12 |pages=1983–1993 |access-date=2 October 2021 |doi=10.1007/s00265-013-1606-6|s2cid=18141328 |hdl=10261/88167 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
=== Environmental determination ===
Male animals have evolved to use secondary sex characteristics as a way of displaying traits that signify their [[Fitness (biology)|fitness]]. [[Sexual selection]] is believed to be the driving force behind the development of these characteristics. Differences in physical size and the ability to fulfill the requirements of sexual selection have contributed significantly to the outcome of secondary sex characteristics in each species.<ref name="Campbell">{{cite book |vauthors=Campbell B|title=Human Evolution: An Introduction to Man's Adaptations|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1351514415|year=2017|pages=392–393|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ctwzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT392}}</ref>
In many species, males differ from females in more ways than just the production of sperm. For example, in some insects and fish, the male is smaller than the female. In seed plants, the [[flower|sporophyte sex organ]] of a single organism includes both the male and female parts.
In mammals, including humans, males are typically larger than females. This is often attributed to the need for male mammals to be physically stronger and more competitive in order to win mating opportunities. In humans specifically, males have more body hair and muscle mass than females.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Ellis|first1=Lee|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Skw2mezpvO4C&q=sex+differences+in+size&pg=PA21|title=Sex Differences: Summarizing More than a Century of Scientific Research|last2=Hershberger|first2=Scott|last3=Field|first3=Evelyn|last4=Wersinger|first4=Scott|last5=Pellis|first5=Sergio|last6=Geary|first6=David|last7=Palmer|first7=Craig|last8=Hoyenga|first8=Katherine|last9=Hetsroni|first9=Amir|date=2013-05-13|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-136-87493-2|language=en}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2021}}<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Richards|first1=Julia E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUw0eHzuH2AC&q=secondary+sex+characteristics&pg=PA277|title=The Human Genome|last2=Hawley|first2=R. Scott|date=2010-12-12|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-08-091865-5|language=en}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2021}}
== See also ==
{{commons category|Males|lcfirst=yes}} ▼
* [[Boy]]
* [[Female]]
* [[Male plant]]
* [[Male pregnancy]]
* [[Man]]
* [[Masculinity]]
* [[Gentleman]]
== Further reading ==
▲{{commons category|Males|lcfirst=yes}}
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Sex (biology)}}
{{Sexual identities}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Male| ]]
[[Category:MenTerms for men| ]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Men]]
[[Category:Boys]]
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