mandlige

Mandlige is a Danish adjective meaning "male" or "masculine." It is used to describe nouns relating to men or male gender and commonly appears before plural nouns to indicate masculine sex, as in mandlige personer or mandlige atleter.

Etymology and form: The word derives from mand (man) with the suffix -lig, forming an adjective meaning "pertaining to men." The plural form mandlige is used when describing plural nouns; the singular form is mandlig. In Danish, many adjectives take an -e ending in indefinites and definites plural, so both mandlige mennesker and de mandlige mennesker are correct.

Usage: Mandlige is common in biology, sociology, sports, and demographic language to distinguish male participants or characteristics. It is often paired with kvindelige (female) in contrastive phrases such as mandlige og kvindelige deltagere (male and female participants) or mandlige og kvindelige kønsorganer.

Notes: In contemporary Danish sometimes language aims for inclusivity in certain contexts, which can influence how gendered terms are used. Despite this, mandlige remains standard when a masculine reference is required or when describing groups of men.

See also: Danish grammar; gender in language.