femmina

Femmina is an Italian noun that denotes the female sex of a person or animal. In everyday language it can refer to a woman, but it is less common than donna or ragazza when speaking of adult females. When describing animals, femmina specifies the female member of a species; in zoological or agricultural contexts it is widely used alongside the male counterpart, maschio. The term does not imply age or social role by itself, and its use can vary with tone: it may be neutral in scientific writing, rustic or colloquial in casual speech, and potentially disparaging if aimed at a person.

Etymology and forms: The word derives from Latin femina, via the suffix -ina that forms feminine nouns in Italian. Related terms include femminile, the adjective meaning feminine, and the plural femmine.

Usage notes: In modern Italian, sesso femminile refers to the female sex in biological or statistical contexts; femmina as a stand‑alone noun is more common in descriptive or technical writing. When referring to humans, care should be taken with connotations: femmina can be perceived as blunt or old‑fashioned, whereas donna is more common and respectful in most contexts. For animals, the term often appears in factual or veterinary language, while everyday speech frequently uses animal‑specific terms (such as cavalla, gatta, or cagna) to denote gender.

See also: Gender and sex in biology; Italian grammar; Italian vocabulary for male and female.