maschi

Maschi is the plural noun in Italian meaning "males." The singular form is maschio. It is used to refer to male individuals or animals and to indicate sex distinctions in biology and medicine, as well as in everyday language.

Etymology: Maschi derives from the Latin masculus, entering Italian through historical development of masculine terms. It is a regular noun that follows standard Italian pluralization: singular maschio, plural maschi.

Use and context: In Italian, maschi appears with articles such as i maschi (the males) or un maschio (a male). The plural form i maschi is common in general reference, science, and statistics, for example when distinguishing males from females. The phrase adulti maschi can describe adult male individuals. For humans, the word is more often replaced by uomo in everyday speech, but maschio is commonly used in scientific, medical, or technical contexts.

Relation to other terms: Maschi is primarily a biological or demographic category rather than a gender identity term in social language. It is contrasted with femmine or femminile in discussions of sex or gender, as in “maschi e femmine” (males and females). In anatomical or veterinary contexts, maschio is routinely used to denote the male sex of the organism.

See also: femmine, maschilità, anatomia, biologia.