Mannlige

Mannlige is a Norwegian adjective meaning male or of the male sex. It is used to describe masculine nouns or groups and is formed from the stem mann (man) plus the suffix -lig, which conveys the meaning “like” or “pertaining to.” The closest cognate in Danish is mandlige; in English, the term corresponds to “male” or “masculine” when used as a modifier.

Usage and meaning

Mannlige is used to refer to male individuals or things associated with men. It is commonly found in demographic, biological, and sociological contexts, as well as in everyday language. Examples include mannlige arbeidere (male workers), mannlige studenter (male students), and de mannlige forskerne (the male researchers). It is typically contrasted with kvinnelige (female) when distinguishing gendered groups.

Grammar and forms

In Norwegian Bokmål, mannlige is the plural form used before masculine nouns in the indefinite sense, and also in definite plural constructions. Singular masculine forms include mannlig (en mannlig lege, a male doctor). In definite singular, the phrase would be den mannlige legen (the male doctor). In plural definite, de mannlige legene (the male doctors) illustrates the definite plural pattern.

Notes

The term is part of standard gendered language and is often encountered in statistics and official texts to specify sex categories. It should be used with care to refer to biological sex or gender identity as appropriate to the context. Related terms include manlighet (masculinity) and kvinnelig (female).