geschlechtlichen

Geschlechtlichen is the declined form of the German adjective geschlechtlich, meaning related to sex or gender. As an attributive adjective it agrees with the noun it modifies in gender, number and case, so forms such as geschlechtliche, geschlechtlicher, or geschlechtlichen appear in different contexts. The word originates from Geschlecht, meaning sex, gender, or lineage, with the suffix -lich forming an adjective.

In use, geschlechtlich describes phenomena or characteristics that pertain to biological sex as well as social gender. In biology and medicine it appears in phrases like geschlechtliche Merkmale (sexual or gender-related characteristics) and geschlechtliche Fortpflanzung (sexual reproduction). In zoology and botany it is used to distinguish species or individuals that have one or two sexes, for example zweigeschlechtlich (dioecious or hermaphroditic contexts are described with other terms). In sociology and gender studies, geschlechtlich is encountered when discussing topics tied to gender, though more common formulations are geschlechtsspezifisch, geschlechtliche Identität or geschlechtergerecht.

Morphologically, geschlechtlichen occurs in many cases: die geschlechtlichen Merkmale (accusative plural), den geschlechtlichen Unterschieden (dative plural), der geschlechtlichen Identität (genitive singular), etc. The precise meaning often depends on context, as German uses separate terms for biological sex (Geschlecht) and social gender (Geschlechtsidentität, gender or gender studies terminology).

Overall, geschlechtlich and its inflected forms are standard in technical or formal language when relating to sex or gender; in everyday language, more specific terms may be preferred. See auch: Geschlecht, Geschlechtsidentität, geschlechtsspezifisch.