请输入您要查询的英文单词:

 

单词 sex
释义

sex


Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

sex

S0299600 (sĕks)n.1. a. Sexual activity, especially sexual intercourse: hasn't had sex in months.b. The sexual urge or instinct as it manifests itself in behavior: motivated by sex.2. a. Either of the two divisions, designated female and male, by which most organisms are classified on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions: How do you determine the sex of a lobster?b. The fact or condition of existing in these two divisions, especially the collection of characteristics that distinguish female and male: the evolution of sex in plants; a study that takes sex into account. See Usage Note at gender.3. Females or males considered as a group: dormitories that house only one sex.4. One's identity as either female or male.5. The genitals.tr.v. sexed, sex·ing, sex·es 1. To determine the sex of (an organism).2. Slang a. To arouse sexually. Often used with up.b. To increase the appeal or attractiveness of. Often used with up.
[Middle English, from Latin sexus.]

sex

(sɛks) n1. (Biology) the sum of the characteristics that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive function2. (Biology) either of the two categories, male or female, into which organisms are placed on this basis3. (Physiology) short for sexual intercourse4. feelings or behaviour resulting from the urge to gratify the sexual instinct5. sexual matters in generalmodifier6. of or concerning sexual matters: sex education; sex hygiene. 7. based on or arising from the difference between the sexes: sex discrimination. vb (tr) to ascertain the sex of[C14: from Latin sexus; compare secāre to divide]

sex

(sɛks)

n. 1. either the female or male division of a species, esp. as differentiated with reference to the reproductive functions. 2. the sum of the structural and functional differences by which the female and male are distinguished. 3. the instinct or attraction drawing one individual sexually toward another, or the cultural phenomena, behavior, or activities that it motivates. 4. sexual intercourse. 5. genitalia. v.t. 6. to ascertain the sex of, esp. of newly hatched chicks. 7. to arouse sexually (often fol. by up). Idioms: have sex, to engage in sexual relations, esp. sexual intercourse. [1350–1400; Middle English < Latin sexus]

sex-

a combining form meaning “six”: sexdecillion. [< Latin, comb. form of sex six]

sex

(sĕks)1. Either of two divisions, male and female, into which most organisms are grouped. Sex is usually determined by anatomy, the makeup of the chromosomes, and the type and amount of hormones produced.2. Sexual intercourse.
sexual adjective

Sex

See also homosexuality; male; women.
algolagniathe finding of sexual pleasure in suffering or inflicting physical pain; sadomasochism. — algolagnist, n. — algolagnic, adj.amphierotismRare. bisexualism. — amphierotic, adj.anaphrodisiaMedicine. the absence or loss of sexual desire. Also called sexual anesthesia.andromanianymphomania.aphrodisiaan extreme state of sexual desire.aphrodisiaca food or other substance that creates sexual desire. — aphrodisiac, adj.aphrodisiomaniaa mania for sexual pleasure.autoeroticismPsychoanalysis. the arousal and satisfaction of sexual desires within or by oneself, usually by masturbation. Also autoerotism. — autoerotic, adj.bawdry1. Archaic. the practice or occupation of being a bawd or procurer.
2. Obsolete, fornication or unlawful intercourse.
bestialitysexual relations between a person and an animal. See also behavior.biomagnetism1. animal magnetism, or the power that enables some people to induce a hypnotic state in others.
2. physical attraction between members of the sexes. — biomagnetic, adj.
bisexualism, bisexualitythe state of being sexually responsive or attracted to members of both sexes. Also called amphierotism. See also body, human. — bisexual, adj.carnalism, carnalitythe practice of finding satisfaction in activities related to fleshly desires and appetites, especially the sexual. — carnal, adj.coitophobiaan abnormal fear of sexual intercourse. Also called genophobia.coprophilia1. the use of obscene or scatological language for sexual gratification.
2. a love of obscenity.
3. Psychiatry. an abnormal interest in feces, especially as a source of sexual excitement.
cryptorchidismthe failure of one or both testes to descend normally. — cryp-torchid, n., adj.deflorationthe act of having sexual intercourse with a virgin; devirgination.devirginationObsolete, the deflowering of a virgin. Also called defloration.edeomaniaan obsession with genitals.eonismPsychiatry. the adoption, by a male, of feminine mannerisms, clothing, etc. Also called transvestism, transvestitism.epicenismthe state or quality of combining characteristics of both sexes. — epicenity, n. — epicene, adj.eroticism1. the erotic or sexual quality of something.
2. the use of sexually arousing or stimulating materials in literature, drama, art, etc.
3. the condition of being sexually stimulated.
4. a sexual drive or tendency.
5. an abnormally persistent sexual drive. Also erotism.
eroticomaniaan abnormal interest in erotica.erotographomaniaan abnormal interest in erotic literature.erotologythe study of sex as a skill.erotomaniaabnormal or uncontrollable sexual desire. — erotomaniac, n., adj.erotophobiaan abnormal fear of sexual feelings and their physical expression.estrus, oestrusthe condition of being in rut or sexual arousal, applied particularly to the female. Also called est rum, oestrum. — estrous, oestrous, adj.eunuchism1. the process or tradition of castrating males.
2. the state of being a eunuch.
fetishism, fetichismPsychiatry. the compulsive use of some object or part of the body as a sexual stimulus, as a shoe, underclothes, a lock of hair, etc. — fetishist, fetichist, n. — fetishistic, fetichistic, adj.flagellationwhipping or flogging, either as a religious practice for the mortification of the flesh, or as a sexual activity, for sado-masochistic pleasure. — flagellant, n., adj. — flagellator, n.free-lovismthe doctrine or practice of having sexual relations without marriage or any other commitment to an obligation.frottagethe act of rubbing against another person for sexual gratification. — frotteur, n.genesiologythe study of reproduction.genophobiacoitophobia.gerontophiliaa sexual attraction to the elderly. — gerontophile. n. — geronto-philic, adj.gynecomaniasatyriasis.harlotrythe state or practice of being a harlot or prostitute.hetaerism, hetairism1. the practice of concubinage.
2. a social system characterized by its regarding women as common property. — hetaerist, hetairist, n. — hetaeristic, hetairistic, adj.
hysteromanianymphomania.inflbulationthe act and practice of attaching a clasp, ring, or other device to the genital organs to prevent sexual intercourse. See also captivity.ithyphallicismthe worship of an erect phallus or the use of a representation of one in ritual. — ithyphallic, adj.lecheryimmoderate indulgence of sexual desire; lewd and lustful behavior. — lecher, lecherer, n. — lecherous, adj.libidoPsychoanalysis. the force or psychic energy behind human action, especially the sexual urge. — libidinous, adj.lubricitylewd or lecherous behavior or attitude; lasciviousness. — lubricious, adj.mentulomaniaan obsession with the penis.monoecismthe condition of having both male and female sex organs in an individual. — monoecious, adj.necrophiliaa sexual attraction to the dead. — necrophile, n. — necrophilic, adj.necrosadismthe mutilation of a corpse in order to excite or satisfy sexual urges. — necrosadist, n.nymphomaniaPathology. an excessive sexual desire in a female. Also called andromania, hysteromania, oestromania, uteromania. Cf. satyriasis. — nymphomaniac, n., adj. — nymphomaniacal, adj.oestromanianymphomania.onanism1. the practice of preejaculatory withdrawal during intercourse.
2. masturbation. — onanist, n. — onanistic, adj.
orchidomaniaan obsession with testicles.panderism1. the practice of acting as a go-between in amorous intrigues.
2. the action of soliciting customers for a prostitute or of procuring women for sexual purposes. Also panderage.
paraphiliathe practice of, indulgence in, or addiction to unusual sexual activities. — paraphilic, adj.paraphobiaan abnormal fear of sexual perversion.partialism1. an emphasis of sexual interest upon one part of the body.
2. a form of fetishism in which the sexual stimulus is a part of the body, as pictures of feet.
pornographomaniaan abnormal interest in pornography.priapism1. Pathology. a continuous erection of the penis, especially as the result of a disease.
2. a prurient action or display. — priapismic, adj.
proxenetismthe practice of pimping by females. — proxenetist, n.prurience, pruriencyan inclination toward lewdness or lustfulness; lustful behavior. — prurient, adj.salacity1. lewdness of speech.
2. lustful or lecherous behavior. — salacious, adj.
satyriasisPathology. an abnormal, uncontrollable sexual desire in men. Also called gynecomania, satyrism, satyromania. Cf. nymphomania. — satyr, n. — satyric, adj.scopophiliaPsychiatry.
1. Also called passive scopophilia. the deriving of sexual pleasure from viewing nude bodies, sexual acts, or erotic photographs; voyeurism.
2. Also called active scopophilia, scoptophilia. an abnormal desire to be seen, especially genitally; exhibitionism. — scopophiliac, n. — scopophilic, adj.
sexologythe study of normal and abnormal sexual behavior. — sexologist, n. — sexological, adj.sexual anesthesiaanaphrodisia.sexualismemphasis upon sex as being a prime concern in life.transsexualism, transsexualitythe psychological phenomenon of a person identifying with the opposite sex, sometimes to the extent of undergoing surgery for change of sex. — transsexual, n., adj.transvestismeonism.ustulationObsolete, a burning sexual desire; a lustful passion.uteromanianymphomania.veneryArchaic. sexual activity; the gratification of sexual impulses.voyeurismthe practice of gaining sexual gratification by looking at sexual acts, erotic pictures, etc. — voyeur, n. — voyeuristic, adj.whoredomthe act or practice of prostitution.whoremongery1. the practice of being a whoremaster, or whoremonger.
2. the actions or behavior of a whoremaster, or whoremonger.
zoophiliaa desire for sexual activity with animals. — zoophilist, n. — zoophilic, zoophilous, adj.

Sex

 

See Also: ATTRACTIVENESS, BODY ORGANS, BREASTS, MEN AND WOMEN, SEXUAL INTERACTION, RELATIONSHIPS

  1. (To me they are) as as sexual as money; and, like money, unless they can engender passion, they are useless to me —W. P. Kinsella

    The frame of reference for Kinsella’s double simile is the other woman.

  2. Batten’s [character in a novel] sex had wilted like a flag in the rain —George Garrett
  3. Celibate, like the fly in the heart of an apple —Jeremy Taylor
  4. An erection like a steeple —Jilly Cooper
  5. Erotic as an ape —Karl Shapiro
  6. I felt an abrupt rush of my semen, racing through me like twin rivers —Scott Spencer
  7. Her climax came … suddenly, like an accident —Scott Spencer
  8. Her sex power … hid in her eyes like a Sicilian bandit —Saul Bellow
  9. His sex beat about like the cane of a furious blind man —Amos Oz
  10. Horny as a tomcat —T. Coraghessan Boyle
  11. In her passional life she was direct —like an axe falling —Lawrence Durrell
  12. It’s rather like a sneeze —Truman Capote, responding to television interviewer’s question as to his feelings about sex
  13. It [a first sexual encounter] was best when it was finished … like having a cup of really good coffee and a Havana after an indifferently cooked but urgently needed meal —John Braine
  14. Just whispering “teenage sex” is like yelling fire in a crowded theatre —Ellen Goodman
  15. A lack of sexuality so total that her smart clothes and too heavy-make-up made her pathetic; like an unsuccessful geisha —John Fowles
  16. Like flowers groping toward the sun, millions of Americans are groping towards sexual nirvana —Anon

    See Also: CHARACTERISTICS, NATIONAL

  17. Like hatred, sex must be articulated or, like hatred, it will produce a disturbing internal malaise —George Jean Nathan
  18. (Her husband complained she) made love like an eager, clumsy cellist —J. D. McClatchy
  19. My sex life … it’d make Moll Flanders look like she needed hormone therapy —Sue Miller
  20. The only sex we were exposed to was with dreadful old whores..like diseased orchids —Tennesse Williams, Playboy, April, 1973
  21. Orgasm is like a slight attack of apoplexy —Democritus
  22. Orgasm is like the tickling feeling you get inside your nose before you sneeze —Children’s 1972 sex education manual
  23. Pornography is like peanut butter —a little goes a long way —Arthur Morowitz, New York Times, October 5, 1986
  24. [Sexual] restraints fell from her like mere rags, or rather, like that dead skin which is scraped off in a steam bath —Marguerite Yourcenar
  25. Sensual as a ripe, thick-veined scarlet fruit —John Logan
  26. Sex becomes as routine as tying one’s shoes —Deborah Phillips, New York Times/Personal Health, October 8, 1986

    See Also: COMMONPLACE

  27. Sex is a subject like every other subject. Every bit as interesting as agriculture —Muriel Spark
  28. Sex … it’s great stuff, like chocolate sundaes —Raymond Chandler
  29. Sexless as a machine —Ellen Glasgow
  30. Sexless as an anemic nun —Sinclair Lewis
  31. (Some men have a) sexual disposition as vigorous, indiscriminate, and as demanding, as a digestive tract —John Cheever
  32. Sexual pleasure, like rending pain, represents the stunning triumph of the immediate —Simone de Beauvoir
  33. She seems to regard sex as a wholesome, slightly silly indulgence, like dancing and nice dinners —Alice Munro
  34. Sometimes I feel like a public utility —Charles Johnson

    The character who makes this comparison about herself in Johnson’s novel, Oxherding Tale, is a woman who has had “an army” of lovers.

  35. There were people … for whom love and sex came easy, without active solicitation, like a strong wind to which they had only to turn their faces —David Leavitt
  36. Virility … was like a gloss on him —Barbara Taylor Bradford
  37. Wears her sex like an expensive perfume —Lawrence Durrell
  38. (Lucille’s aunt had) wrapped her own dank virginity round her like someone sharing a mackintosh —Elizabeth Bowen

sex


Past participle: sexed
Gerund: sexing
Imperative
sex
sex
Present
I sex
you sex
he/she/it sexes
we sex
you sex
they sex
Preterite
I sexed
you sexed
he/she/it sexed
we sexed
you sexed
they sexed
Present Continuous
I am sexing
you are sexing
he/she/it is sexing
we are sexing
you are sexing
they are sexing
Present Perfect
I have sexed
you have sexed
he/she/it has sexed
we have sexed
you have sexed
they have sexed
Past Continuous
I was sexing
you were sexing
he/she/it was sexing
we were sexing
you were sexing
they were sexing
Past Perfect
I had sexed
you had sexed
he/she/it had sexed
we had sexed
you had sexed
they had sexed
Future
I will sex
you will sex
he/she/it will sex
we will sex
you will sex
they will sex
Future Perfect
I will have sexed
you will have sexed
he/she/it will have sexed
we will have sexed
you will have sexed
they will have sexed
Future Continuous
I will be sexing
you will be sexing
he/she/it will be sexing
we will be sexing
you will be sexing
they will be sexing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been sexing
you have been sexing
he/she/it has been sexing
we have been sexing
you have been sexing
they have been sexing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been sexing
you will have been sexing
he/she/it will have been sexing
we will have been sexing
you will have been sexing
they will have been sexing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been sexing
you had been sexing
he/she/it had been sexing
we had been sexing
you had been sexing
they had been sexing
Conditional
I would sex
you would sex
he/she/it would sex
we would sex
you would sex
they would sex
Past Conditional
I would have sexed
you would have sexed
he/she/it would have sexed
we would have sexed
you would have sexed
they would have sexed
Thesaurus
Noun1.sex - activities associated with sexual intercoursesex - activities associated with sexual intercourse; "they had sex in the back seat"sex activity, sexual activity, sexual practicebondage - sexual practice that involves physically restraining (by cords or handcuffs) one of the partnersoutercourse - sexual stimulation without vaginal penetration; "since pregnancy cannot happen if sperm are kept out of the vagina, outercourse is one method of birth control"safe sex - sexual activity (especially sexual intercourse) with the use of measures (such as latex condoms) to avoid the transmission of disease (especially AIDS)conception - the act of becoming pregnant; fertilization of an ovum by a spermatozooncarnal knowledge, coition, coitus, sex act, sexual congress, sexual intercourse, sexual relation, copulation, intercourse, relation, congress - the act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occurpleasure - sexual gratification; "he took his pleasure of her"love life, lovemaking, making love, sexual love, love - sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people; "his lovemaking disgusted her"; "he hadn't had any love in months"; "he has a very complicated love life"carnal abuse - any lascivious contact by an adult with the sexual organs of a child (especially not involving sexual intercourse)mating, pairing, sexual union, union, coupling, conjugation - the act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes; "the casual couplings of adolescents"; "the mating of some species occurs only in the spring"facts of life, procreation, reproduction, breeding - the sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspringforeplay, stimulation, arousal - mutual sexual fondling prior to sexual intercoursesexual perversion, perversion - an aberrant sexual practice;autoeroticism, autoerotism - using you own body as a sexual objectpromiscuity, promiscuousness, sleeping around - indulging in promiscuous (casual and indiscriminate) sexual relationslechery - unrestrained indulgence in sexual activitygayness, homoeroticism, homosexualism, homosexuality, queerness - a sexual attraction to (or sexual relations with) persons of the same sexbisexuality - sexual activity with both men and womenheterosexualism, heterosexuality, straightness - a sexual attraction to (or sexual relations with) persons of the opposite sexzooerastia, zooerasty, bestiality - sexual activity between a person and an animalbodily function, bodily process, body process, activity - an organic process that takes place in the body; "respiratory activity"
2.sex - either of the two categories (male or female) into which most organisms are divided; "the war between the sexes"category, class, family - a collection of things sharing a common attribute; "there are two classes of detergents"
3.sex - all of the feelings resulting from the urge to gratify sexual impulses; "he wanted a better sex life"; "the film contained no sex or violence"sexual urgefeeling - the experiencing of affective and emotional states; "she had a feeling of euphoria"; "he had terrible feelings of guilt"; "I disliked him and the feeling was mutual"
4.sex - the properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles; "she didn't want to know the sex of the foetus"sexuality, genderphysiological property - a property having to do with the functioning of the bodymaleness, masculinity - the properties characteristic of the male sexandrogyny, bisexuality, hermaphroditism - showing characteristics of both sexesfemaleness, feminineness - the properties characteristic of the female sex
Verb1.sex - stimulate sexuallysex - stimulate sexually; "This movie usually arouses the male audience"wind up, excite, turn on, arousestimulate, stir, shake up, excite, shake - stir the feelings, emotions, or peace of; "These stories shook the community"; "the civil war shook the country"tempt - try to seduce
2.sex - tell the sex (of young chickens)differentiate, distinguish, secern, secernate, severalise, severalize, tell apart, separate, tell - mark as different; "We distinguish several kinds of maple"

sex

noun1. gender differences between the sexes2. facts of life, sexuality, reproduction, the birds and the bees (informal) a campaign to help parents talk about sex with their children3. (Informal) lovemaking, sexual relations, copulation, the other (informal), fucking (taboo slang), screwing (taboo slang), intimacy, going to bed (with someone), shagging (Brit. taboo slang), nookie (slang), fornication, coitus, rumpy-pumpy (slang), legover (slang), coition The entire film revolves around sex and drugs.have sex have sexual intercourse, sleep with, make love with, have (taboo slang), lay (taboo slang), roger (taboo slang), bang (taboo slang), fuck (taboo slang), screw (taboo slang), shaft (taboo slang), poke (taboo slang), lie with (archaic), shag (Brit. taboo slang), hump (taboo slang), give someone one (taboo slang), do the business, get it on (informal), go to bed with, fornicate (archaic), get your leg over (taboo slang), have your way with I want to have sex, but my girlfriend says no. He was caught having sex with a girl in a public car park.Related words
like erotomania, nymphomania
fear genophobia
Quotations
"The pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous, and the expense damnable" [attributed to Lord Chesterfield]
"When I hear his steps outside my door I lie down on my bed, close my eyes, open my legs, and think of England" [Lady Hillingdon]
"Sex is what you can get. For some people, most people, it's the most important thing they can get without being born rich or smart or stealing" [Don DeLillo Underworld]
"Is sex dirty? Only if it's done right" [Woody Allen Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex]
"That [sex] was the most fun I ever had without laughing" [Woody Allen Annie Hall]
"My mother used to say, Delia, if S-E-X ever rears its ugly head, close your eyes before you see the rest of it" [Alan Ayckbourn Bedroom Farce]
"While we have sex in the mind, we truly have none in the body" [D.H. Lawrence Leave Sex Alone]
"There is more difference within the sexes than between them" [Ivy Compton-Burnett]

Sexual practices and terms

adultery, afterplay, algolagnia, anal intercourse, sodomy, or buggery, anilingus, autoeroticism, bagpiping, bestiality, bisexuality, bondage, coprophilia, cottaging, cunnilingus, felching, fellatio, fetishism, fisting or fist-fucking, flagellation, foreplay, fornication, frottage, heterosexuality, homosexuality, impotence, incest, lesbianism, masochism, masturbation, narcissism, necrophilia, nymphomania, oral sex, paedophilia, paraphilia, pederasty, premature ejaculation, rimming, rough trade, sadism, sadomasochism or S&M, safe sex, satyriasis, scopophilia, shrimping, soixante-neuf or sixty-nine, tribadism, troilism, voyeurism, water sports, urolagnia, or golden shower, zoophilia
Translations
性别男女雌雄

sex

(seks) noun1. either of the two classes (male and female) into which human beings and animals are divided according to the part they play in producing children or young. Jeans are worn by people of both sexes; What sex is the puppy? 男女,雌雄 (总称)男女,雌雄 2. the fact of belonging to either of these two groups. discrimination on the grounds of sex; (also adjective) sex discrimination. 性別 性别ˈsexist adjective showing contempt for the other sex. a very sexist remark. 性別歧視的 性别歧视的ˈsexless adjective neither male nor female. 無性的(動物,非雄性或雌性) 无性别的sexual (ˈsekʃuəl) adjective concerned with the production of young or children. the sexual organs. 性方面的 性的,有关生殖的 ˈsexually adverb 在性方面 性别上地,两性之间地 ˈsexy adjective having sex appeal. 性感的 性感的,色情的 sexual abuse noun taking advantage of someone sexually in a cruel way. 性虐待 性虐待sex appeal the quality of being attractive to people of the other sex. That actress has sex appeal. 性感 性感sexual harassment noun touching someone or demanding to have sex with a person against her/his will, or making sexual remarks about a person. 性騷擾 性骚扰sexual intercourse the sexual activity between a man and woman that is necessary for the producing of children. 性交 性交

sex

性别zhCN
  • Do you have any single sex dorms? → 你们这儿有没有男女分开的宿舍?

sex


Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

eye sex

vulgar slang An act in which two people exchange looks indicating intense mutual sexual desires or attraction. I kept having eye sex with this guy across the bar, but he left before I had a chance to talk to him.See also: eye, sex

sex on a stick

vulgar slang An extremely sexually attractive person. Well, he's not exactly sex on a stick, but he's a kind, decent, and funny man, and he knows how to treat me right.See also: on, sex, stick

sex on legs

vulgar slang An extremely sexually attractive person. Well, he's not exactly sex on legs, but he's a kind, decent, and funny man, and he knows how to treat me right.See also: leg, on, sex

the sex talk

An informal lecture or conversation about sex (and perhaps reproduction), especially as given by parents to their children. I know it can be embarrassing and awkward having the sex talk with your kids, but it's important for them to know that they can come to you if they have any questions or concerns about sex as they enter puberty.See also: sex, talk

have sex

To engage in an act of sex (with someone). A: "Did you have sex last night?" B: "Well that's a personal question!"See also: have, sex

sex kitten

A physically and sexually attractive young woman. With some new clothes and makeup, I bet she would be quite a sex kitten.See also: kitten, sex

sex object

One who is valued or regarded as a source of sexual pleasure. She was tired of being treated like a sex object, so she began dressing more conservatively and demanded more respect from the men within her social circle.See also: object, sex

sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll

A phrase used to indicate a wild, hedonistic lifestyle. Being a touring musician is not as exciting as it seems—it's definitely not all sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.See also: and, rock, roll

better than sex

Extremely enjoyable or pleasurable. You have to try some of this chocolate cake—it's better than sex! The exhilaration you feel when you reach the top of a mountain is better than sex.See also: better, sex

the battle of the sexes

The ongoing struggles and conflicts that exist between men and women. Sure, men and women have some general differences, but the battle of the sexes is really just perpetuated by our outdated ideas of gender.See also: battle, of, sex

the fair(er) sex

Females. The term has come to be considered inappropriate due to its emphasis on the physical appearance of women and girls. Did he just say "members of the fairer sex"? I feel like I'm in a Victorian novel.See also: sex

the opposite sex

Collectively, the members of the other gender, typically the gender to which one is attacted. I still remember the torture of being in middle school, suddenly so fascinated by but at once terrified of the opposite sex. I don't understand this tendency we have right now to demonize the opposite sex as some kind of enemy in a made-up social war.See also: opposite, sex

sex up

1. slang To make someone or something more sexually attractive or alluring. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sex" and "up." Advertisers have been sexing up their advertisements for as long as advertising has existed—as the saying goes, "sex sells." Originally my character dressed much more modestly, but they wanted to sex me up for the movie.2. slang To make something more interesting, exciting, or appealing, especially through embellishment, exaggeration, or sensationalism. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sex" and "up." As news articles moved from print to online distribution, publishers have had to rely on people seeking out and clicking on their material, which is why so many articles have been sexed up with sensationalist language and details normally reserved for tabloids. The CEO wants us to sex our report up for the investor's briefing with more exciting language.3. vulgar slang To engage in sexual intercourse or activity with someone. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sex" and "up." He whispered in my ear that he wanted to sex me up. Wow, would you look at the bartender? I wouldn't mind sexing him up.See also: sex, up

sex tape

A video of two or more people, often celebrities, engaging in sexual acts, recorded privately and nonprofessionally, often but not always with the intention that it will only be seen by the parties involved. The term originated when such videos were recorded and distributed on videotape. These days, most sex tapes are released intentionally to boost some D-list celebrity's career.See also: sex, tape

sex goddess

A woman, especially a celebrity or entertainer, who is popularly considered to have abundant sex appeal; a sex symbol. Tom's always had posters of some sex goddess or another hanging on his bedroom walls ever since he turned 13. She was something of a sex goddess as a young starlet, but she has since become a leading activist for women's rights around the world.See also: goddess, sex

sexpot

Someone, especially a woman, who flaunts their sex appeal; an overtly sexual person. In the film, the man is seduced by a young sexpot who begins working in his building.

sex machine

1. Someone who engages in very frequent or vigorous sex. I've just never really been a sex machine. I prefer spending time with my romantic partners in other ways.2. Someone who can provide frequent sexual satisfaction to their partner. There's a belief that all women want total sex machines for boyfriends and husbands, but that's simply not true.See also: machine, sex

men who have sex with men

Men who engage in such sexual activity but do not necessarily self-identify as homosexual or bisexual. Often abbreviated as "MSM." In the medical community, use of the term "men who have sex with men" has been seen as a way to more accurately ascertain disease rates, by focusing on one's actual sexual activity, rather than their sexual identity.See also: have, men, sex, who

opposite sex

the other sex; (from the point of view of a female) males; (from the point of view of a male) females. (Also with member of, as in the example.) Ann is crazy about the opposite sex. Bill is very shy when he's introduced to the opposite sex. Do members of the opposite sex make you nervous?See also: opposite, sex

fair sex

Girls or women, as in Many women would object to being called the fair sex nowadays. This euphemism uses fair in the sense of "physically beautiful" and is probably dying out. [Mid-1600s] See also: fair, sex

sex on legs

an extremely sexually attractive person. informal 2004 Northern Rivers Echo News Yep, forget that sissy Richard Gere playing Lancelot, give me Hornblower's Ioan Gruffudd any day. The guy is sex on legs. See also: leg, on, sex

the ˌopposite ˈsex

the other sex: He found it difficult to talk to members of the opposite sex.See also: opposite, sex

sex up

v.1. To increase the sexual appeal or content of someone or something: The producer sexed up the music video with scantily clad dancers. Because the club was bland, the owners decided to sex it up.2. Chiefly British Slang To increase the appeal or attractiveness of something; embellish something: The committee sexed up the report with suggestions of conspiracy. Our website is boring—what if we sex it up with funky icons?3. Vulgar Slang To arouse someone sexually.See also: sex, up

sex goddess

n. a sexy-looking female movie or television star. I wonder what these sex goddesses look like when they get up in the morning. See also: goddess, sex

sex kitten

n. a woman with enormous sexual potential. He thought he was getting a sex kitten, but she turned out to be just a plain cat. See also: kitten, sex

sex pot

n. one who flaunts one’s sexuality, usually a woman. About 20,000 young sex pots hit Hollywood every year hoping to be discovered. See also: pot, sex

sex-machine

n. a sexually promising person; a person obsessed with sex. Heidi looks like such a sex-machine, but she is a real wallflower.

fair sex, the

Females in general. This cliché, which is rapidly dying out, is a direct translation of the French le beau sexe, a phrase popularized by the English journalists Joseph Addison and Richard Steele (“That sex which is therefore called fair,” The Spectator, 1712). It was already a cliché by the time Arthur Conan Doyle (The Second Stain, 1905) put it in Sherlock Holmes’s mouth: “Now Watson, the fair sex is your department.”See also: fair

sex


Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

sex,

term used to refer both to the two groups distinguished as males and females, and to the anatomical and physiological characteristics associated with maleness and femaleness. Sex relates to the type of reproductionreproduction,
capacity of all living systems to give rise to new systems similar to themselves. The term reproduction may refer to this power of self-duplication of a single cell or a multicellular animal or plant organism.
..... Click the link for more information.
 in which specialized reproductive cells (gametes) form and, when united by fertilizationfertilization,
in biology, process in the reproduction of both plants and animals, involving the union of two unlike sex cells (gametes), the sperm and the ovum, followed by the joining of their nuclei.
..... Click the link for more information.
, produce a zygote (fertilized egg) that develops into a new individual. The female gamete is called an egg or ovumovum
, in biology, specialized plant or animal sex cell, also called the egg, or egg cell. It is the female sex cell, or female gamete; the male gamete is the sperm. The study of the ovum is included in the science of embryology.
..... Click the link for more information.
, and the male gamete a spermsperm
or spermatozoon
, in biology, the male gamete (sex cell), corresponding to the female ovum in organisms that reproduce sexually. In higher animals the sperm is produced in the testis of the male; it is much smaller than the ovum and consists primarily of a head,
..... Click the link for more information.
.

Sexual Differentiation

Differentiation into two sexes appears in some members of all divisions of the plant and animal kingdoms. Even in species where little or no sexual difference has occurred anatomically, an implied separation exists in forms in which conjugation occurs (e.g., among different strains in paramecia and between plus and minus strains in molds). Many lower forms reproduce within the one individual two different kinds of cell that unite to form a new individual; in others, male and female cells form in different individuals. Among the vertebrates, the sexes are usually readily distinguishable by their primary sexual characteristics, i.e., the structure of their reproductive organs. In the highest group of plants, the seed-bearing plants, the female organ is the pistilpistil
, one of the four basic parts of a flower, the central structure around which are arranged the stamens, the petals, and the sepals. The pistil is usually called the female reproductive organ of a flowering plant, although the actual reproductive structures are microscopic.
..... Click the link for more information.
 and the male organ is the stamenstamen,
one of the four basic parts of a flower. The stamen (microsporophyll), is often called the flower's male reproductive organ. It is typically located between the central pistil and the surrounding petals.
..... Click the link for more information.
. The stamens and pistil may appear in the same flower, in different flowers of the same plant, or in the flowers of separate plants. Secondary sexual characteristics include the bright coloration of many male birds and fish, the antlers of male deer, the beard and deepened voice of human males, and the mammary glands of female mammals. In higher animals, hormones released by the sexual organs under stimulation from the pituitary hormones play a dominant role in the control of sexual characteristics and the sexual processes of reproduction (see pituitary glandpituitary gland,
small oval endocrine gland that lies at the base of the brain. It is sometimes called the master gland of the body because all the other endocrine glands depend on its secretions for stimulation (see endocrine system).
..... Click the link for more information.
).

Genetic Basis of Sex and Sex-linked Traits

The modern science of genetics has provided a scientific explanation about how an offspring becomes either female or male. Based on the discovery that among the chromosomeschromosome
, structural carrier of hereditary characteristics, found in the nucleus of every cell and so named for its readiness to absorb dyes. The term chromosome
..... Click the link for more information.
 present in the body cells, a special pair of sex chromosomes exist that bear the genes determining the sex of the offspring. In the human female, these chromosomes are identical and are called X chromosomes (indicated by XX). The male has one X chromosome and one smaller Y chromosome, which is dominant for maleness. During the process of producing reproductive cells (see meiosismeiosis
, process of nuclear division in a living cell by which the number of chromosomes is reduced to half the original number. Meiosis occurs only in the process of gametogenesis, i.e., when the gametes, or sex cells (ovum and sperm), are being formed.
..... Click the link for more information.
), each of these chromosomes is segregated into a different gamete. Thus, when fertilization occurs, according to Mendelian law, 50% of the offspring will be XX (female) and 50% XY (male). Deviations from this rule do occur, but it is generally true.

The rule also helps to explain the inheritance of sex-linked characteristics such as hemophilia (a blood clotting disorder) and red-green color blindness, since the X chromosome also carries some genes for nonsexual traits. The Y chromosome carries very few genes for nonsexual traits; these few (including one for hairy ears) are called holandric genes. Certain inherited characteristics comprise X-linked traits, so called because a single X chromosome occurs in males. A recessive characteristic, e.g., when a gene leads to the expression of a disease such as hemophilia, may locate on the X sex chromosome in males and thus appear in that family.

Genetic Variability

Because of the myriad genes in the nucleus of every parent cell, the probability of two individuals inheriting identical characteristics is almost zero; thus, innumerable new variations (see mutationmutation,
in biology, a sudden, random change in a gene, or unit of hereditary material, that can alter an inheritable characteristic. Most mutations are not beneficial, since any change in the delicate balance of an organism having a high level of adaptation to its environment
..... Click the link for more information.
) constantly undergo testing for survival advantages in the individual's environment. The evolutionary flexibility that results from sexuality at some stage of the reproductive cycle seems not only beneficial but necessary in maintaining the adaptability of the species. The Human Genome ProjectHuman Genome Project,
international scientific effort to map all of the genes on the 23 pairs of human chromosomes and, to sequence the 3.1 billion DNA base pairs that make up the chromosomes (see nucleic acid).
..... Click the link for more information.
 is mapping and sequencing the approximately 30,000 human genes. The goal of this international scientific effort focuses on discovering the genetic basis for diseases in order to help humans avoid having children with severe or fatal genetic disorders.

Bibliography

See study by J. Maynard-Smith (1978).

Sex

 

the sum of the morphological and physiological features of an organism that provide for sexual reproduction, the essence of which amounts in the final analysis to fertilization. When fertilization occurs, the male and female sex cells—gametes—merge into a zygote, from which develops a new organism. In the zygote, two haploid sets of chromosomes of the maternal and paternal gametes are united. In the sex cells of the new organism, haploid sets of recombined paternal and maternal chromosomes are formed. This results from the crossing-over of homologous parental chromosomes and the random distribution of the chromosomes in the newly formed cells during meiosis (seeCROSSING-OVER). Numerous genetically different individuals arise in dioecious populations, establishing favorable conditions for the natural selection of better adapted forms. In this lies the principal advantage of sexual reproduction over asexual reproduction.

Sexual reproduction predominates in animals and higher plants. It also characterizes many microorganisms, for example, conjugation in bacteria is accompanied by partial exchange of genetic material—strands of DNA. The sexual process in unicellular organisms does not require significant sex differentiation. The same cell may be both a somatic cell and a sex cell. Multicellular diploid organisms have special haploid sex cells: females have large nonmotile or slightly motile ones, and males have small, usually motile ones. In most plants but only in a few animals both types of gametes are produced by a single individual (seeHERMAPHRODITISM). In most animals the sperm and eggs are produced by males and females, respectively. Besides producing cells of different sexes, males and females differ in sexual behavior and a number of morphological and physiological features, which ensure the fusion of the sex cells.

Sex determination. All organisms are genetically bisexual, since their zygotes receive genetic information that potentially makes possible the development of male and female features (sexual bipotentiality). In bisexual plants and in some hermaphroditic animals, female and male reproductive organs and sex cells develop from genetically identical cells under the influence of internal conditions (in respect to certain cells the conditions may be regarded as external). The switch mechanism that determines whether the individual will develop female reproductive organs or male reproductive organs has not been discovered. In dioecious species potentially bisexual zygotes only rarely develop into females or males as a result of external conditions. For example, in the marine annelid Bonellia, a larva that settles on the proboscis of the female develops into a male, whereas a larva that settles on the sea bottom develops into a female. The large nutrient-rich tubers of the plant Arisaema japonica give rise to plants with female flowers, but the small tubers yield plants with male flowers. Sex determination by external conditions is called phenotypic, or modifiable.

Genetic sex determination is more common. The zygote also exhibits sexual bipotentiality. However, genetic factors cause one half of the zygotes to develop into males, and the other half into females. A special chromosome mechanism ensures transmission of genes of the female sex to one half the offspring, and genes of the male sex to the other half.

At the beginning of the 20th century it was established that in the males of some insect species the diploid cells have, in addition to pairs of homologous chromosomes, an unpaired chromosome. The females, on the other hand, have two unpaired chromosomes. The males of other insect species all have paired chromosomes, but one pair consists of two morphologically dissimilar chromosomes. These dissimilar chromosomes, which are involved in sex determination, are called sex chromosomes, and all other chromosomes are called autosomes. Sex chromosomes were later discovered in many dioecious organisms.

The sex chromosome of the male that is also found in females is called the X chromosome, and the one unique to males is called the Y. The combination of sex chromosomes of the male is designated by the formula XO or XY, and that of the female by XX. Males with one sex chromosome (XO) produce equal numbers of gametes with and without X chromosomes. Those without X chromosomes have only one haploid set of autosomes (A). All gametes produced by females contain an X chromosome. After the random fusion of male and female gametes, half of the zygotes will have two X chromosomes (XX), and the other half will possess only one X chromosome. The former will become females, and the latter males.

Males bearing X and Y chromosomes produce equal numbers of gametes having an X chromosome and those having a Y chromosome. The female gametes of this type are genetically identical—they all carry one X chromosome. As a result, half the eggs are fertilized by spermatozoa with a Y chromosome, and the other half by those with an X chromosome. XY zygotes will develop into male individuals and XX zygotes will develop into females.

XO males and XY males are heterogametic; XX females are homogametic. In many animals the female is the heterogametic sex. The sex chromosomes of such females are designated by the letters Z and W or XY, and the sex chromosomes of homogametic males are designated by ZZ or XX. In mammals, nematodes, mollusks, echinoderms, and most arthropods the male is the heterogametic sex. In insects and fishes, heterogamety is observed in both males and females. Heterogamety in females characterizes birds, reptiles, and some amphibians.

The sexual bipotentiality of a zygote is conditioned by genes that are localized in the autosomes and that appear only by the action of other genes known as the sex determiners. It is these genes that promote the formation of the female sex by some genes and the formation of the male sex by others. With genetic determination of XO and XX, the determiners of the female sex are localized in the X chromosomes, and those of the male sex are in the autosomes. When one set of female-determining genes in an X chromosome combines with a diploid set of male-determining genes in the autosomes, a male develops. Two X’s are sufficient to override the potential development of a male and thus result in a female. In humans, the Y chromosome plays a sex-determining role. In anomalous cases, it combines with two, three, or even four X chromosomes when there is a normal set of autosomes. Although this leads to pathological deviations, all individuals with such sets of chromosomes are male. The sex-determining role of Y chromosomes has been noted in many animal species and in the plant Melandrium album (white campion).

In Drosophila the Y chromosome has almost no genes, that is, it is genetically inert. The female-determining genes are localized in the X chromosome, and the male-determining genes are in the autosomes. Sex determination is controlled by the ratio of X chromosomes to the set of autosomes (X:A), which is conventionally accepted in the female as 2X:2A = 1; this ratio, known as the sex index, in the male is equal to 0.5 (X:2A = 0.5). An increase in the sex index above 1 leads to excessive development of female sex characters (superfemale), whereas a decrease below 0.5 fosters the appearance of males with more strongly expressed male characters (supermale). Individuals with a sex index of 0.67 and 0.75 are marked by sexual characteristics intermediate between the male and female and are called intersexes. The phenomenon of intersexuality demonstrates the bisexual potential of genetic information transmitted to all offspring.

The genetic mechanism controlling the development of sex characters can be intracellular or intercellular. Intracellular sex determination does not result from the formation of sex hormones (for example, in insects), and the action of the sex-determining genes is limited by the cells in which the genes function. In such cases, parts of the body with female and male characters (gynandromorphism) may develop normally in the same organism, without influencing one another. With intercellular sex determination, which is characteristic of mammals and birds, the elaboration of sex hormones is controlled by genes. Upon entering all the cells of the body, the hormones stimulate phenotypic development of characters of the appropriate sex.

Sex determination may be progamic, syngamic, or epigamic. Progamic sex determination occurs before fertilization of the egg cell. The egg cells may differentiate into slow-growing and fast-growing cells. The latter become large and, after fertilization, produce females; the former are smaller in size and yield males. Such differentiation occurs even though both types of egg cells are genetically identical. Syngamic sex determination occurs during fertilization, but at different stages. In some species with male heterogamety and physiological polyspermy (fertilization of egg cells by several spermatozoa), sex is determined at the moment the nuclei of the sex cells fuse (karyogamy). If a male nucleus with a Y chromosome fuses with the nucleus of the egg cell, a male individual will develop; if a male nucleus with an X chromosome does so, a female will develop. With female heterogamety, the sex of the offspring depends on which of the sex chromosomes enters the nucleus of the egg cell during meiosis. If a Z chromosome enters the nucleus, a male individual will develop, but if a W chromosome enters, a female will develop. Thus, in this instance the sex of the zygote is established before karyogamy. Epigamic sex determination is observed in dioecious species with phenotypic sex determination, when the direction of development toward male or female sex is influenced by external conditions.

Sex-limited, sex-conditioned, and sex-linked characters. Characters that are limited or controlled by sex are said to be sex-limited, sex-conditioned, or sex-linked. Sex-limited characters, which appear by virtue of sexual differentiation, may be manifested in only one of the sexes. An example is the production of milk and eggs by only the female sex. Such characters appear only in one sex, even though polymeric genes of these characters are localized in the autosomes of both sexes.

Sex-conditioned characters controlled by sex are manifested either in both sexes (the different-sized horns of rams and ewes) or, more frequently, in only one of the sexes (the beard of billy goats). Such dissimilar development, which occurs although both sexes contain the genes of these characters in equal measure in their autosomes, is conditioned by the substantially different physiological processes of organisms of different sexes.

Genes that determine sex-linked characters are localized in paired and unpaired sex chromosomes and are therefore inherited differently from characters conditioned by paired genes localized in the autosomes of both sexes. If the genes are localized in the unpaired Y chromosome of a heterogametic male, the characters conditioned by them are inherited only by male offspring; if the genes are localized in the chromosome of a heterogametic female, the characters conditioned by them are transmitted only to female offspring. Characters heritable in this way are called holandric and hologynic, respectively. This type of heredity has been observed in some fish and insect species; its existence has not been fully substantiated in other animal species.

When genes are localized in homologous X or Z chromosomes, the characters conditioned by them are transmitted by criss-cross inheritance, in which a recessive character of the mother is transmitted to the sons, and a dominant one to the daughters. This type of inheritance, which was first described by T. H. Morgan, is found in many species of animals (for example, tricolor kittens, striped coloration of plumage and rapidity of its growth in chickens). Many sex-linked mutations have been discovered in Drosophila and the silkworm.

Lethal genes—genes that cause the death of the organism when it develops—may also be sex-linked. If a homogametic parent is heterozygotic for a lethal gene that is borne by one of the homologous sex chromosomes (X or Z), half of the heterogametic offspring will die, having received a lethal gene whose destructive effect in the genotype will not be opposed by the normal allele. With heterogamety of the female sex, half the daughters will die from the lethal genes; with heterogamety of the male, half the sons will die. Sometimes mutant genes in the X and Z chromosomes only partially decrease the viability of offspring or cause various diseases that are most often manifested in the heterogametic sex. In humans, more than 50 sex-linked mutations have been discovered, most of which bring about various disturbances.

Ratio of the sexes. With phenotypic sex determination, the sex ratio depends on the number of developing organisms that fall under the influence of external factors that determine one or the other sex. With genetic sex determination the ratio of the sexes in most species is generally very close to 100 ♀:100 ♂ (100 females: 100 males). There are, however, deviations even with this kind of sex determination. For example, in some mammal species with male heterogamety 1–2 percent more male offspring are born with statistical certainty.

Regulation. A substantial shift in the ratio of organisms toward one of the sexes has theoretical and practical significance, since one of the sexes is usually more productive. Four principal methods of sex regulation are used. The method used is determined by the type of sex determination and by the biological and economic characteristics of the species.

PHENOTYPIC REDETERMINATION. If the action of the sex genes is realized by means of hormones, the sex characters change when the sex organs of one sex are transplanted to the other or when hormones of the opposite sex or certain amino acids are injected in the body. The degree of phenotypic changes of sex depends on the characteristics of the species and the dosage of the injected preparation. However, only in rare cases (in some fishes and amphibians) do individuals with phenotypi-cally redetermined sex produce gametes opposite to their genoty-pic sex. If the action of the hormones ceases, the genetic mechanism of sex determination comes into play in succeeding generations.

MANAGEMENT OF THE GENETIC MECHANISM OF SEX DETERMINATION, OR ARTIFICIAL COMBINATION OF SEX CHROMOSOMES IN THE EGG CELL. Changes in the sex ratio have been achieved in experiments with the silkworm, in which sex is strictly determined by the combination of sex chromosomes (ZW-♀; ZZ-♂). Unfertilized egg cells develop parthenogeneti-cally after heating; this occurs because the diploid nucleus has not completed reduction division. All the cells of the partheno-genetic embryo preserve the maternal structure, especially in respect to the ZW sex chromosomes, and consequently develop only into females (B. L. Astaurov). Through the action of ionizing radiation and heating it has become possible to suppress the female nucleus in a newly inseminated egg cell and to switch development to the male principle. The diploid nucleus of the male zygote is formed by merging two male nuclei and, therefore, has the male sex structure ZZ. These zygotes in the silkworm always yield caterpillars of the male sex (H. Hashimoto; B. L. Astaurov).

By the above methods the problem of arbitrary sex regulation was first solved in agricultural silkworm species. Scientists are attempting to separate according to morphological and physiological characteristics X- and Y-bearing spermatozoa in mammals for the purpose of subsequent insemination with one category of spermatozoa. However, this method has not yet been used successfully to change the ratio of the sexes.

Early diagnosis. Early sex diagnosis is used for sorting hatched chicks by sex. Such a diagnosis is determined by the coloration of the plumage, which is a sex-linked character. Early sex diagnosis is used for the “ultra-early” sorting of the silkworm by sex. Ionizing radiation may cause the autosome with the dominant gene that conditions dark coloration of eggs of the silkworm to be linked to a sex W chromosome. Chromosome linkage is stably transmitted by heredity. The egg cells whose chromosome is linked with a transformed dominant gene acquire dark coloration and develop into females, whereas the egg cells of the male sex that have not received a dominant gene remain unpigmented. Automatic photoelectric machines very rapidly divide variously colored eggs by sex. Breeds of silkworm thus developed (V. A. Strunnikov and L. M. Gulamova) and tagged according to sex find practical use in Soviet sericulture.

In the 1960’s the British scientists R. Edwards and R. Gardner discovered a means of ensuring the birth of offspring of only one sex in mammals. Early embryos were removed from the pregnant rabbits, and their sex was determined by cytological method. The embryos of the undesired sex were culled out, and those of the desired sex were returned to the uterus. About 20 percent of the returned embryos became embedded and developed into rabbits of the sex predicted by the scientists.

In almost all animals with genetic sex determination, change in the sex ratio may be the result of the death of half the embryos of heterogametic sex, owing to sex-linked lethal genes. However, such an approach to sex regulation is not economically justified for many agricultural animals. An exception is the silkworm. In the USSR a genetically special breed of the silkworm has been developed by a radiation method (V. A. Strunnikov). Both Z chromosomes of the males always have one nonhomologous lethal gene (balanced lethal genes). If the males are crossed with females of ordinary breeds, one half the females will die in the egg stage from the first lethal gene, and the other half from the second lethal gene. Normal caterpillars will hatch from eggs of the male sex. This method makes it possible to obtain only the most productive males in unlimited numbers.

Evolution. Dioecism, which is characteristic even of many unicellular organisms (algae, protozoans), derived from monoe-cism. Only in a few instances, for example with parasitism, could monoecism arise secondarily from dioecism. Thus, in parasitic crustaceans one observes all the transitions from monoecism to dioecism. Dioecious crustacean species with well-developed females and dwarf males are examples of an obvious shift toward hermaphroditism.

Phenotypic sex determination is an older phenomenon than genetic, since in the early stages of evolution a special apparatus of sex chromosomes did not exist. The special sex chromosomes of fishes and amphibians that arose in certain stages of evolution were initially morphologically indistinguishable from autosomes, and their presence may be judged only from sex-linked characters. After morphological differences between sex chromosomes and autosomes, differentiation between the X and Y chromosomes occurred, which caused ever rarer conjugation between them and inhibited exchange of their parts during crossing-over. All this promoted the performance of specific functions by the sex chromosomes, that is, the chromosomes became the determiners of female or male sex. Complete disappearance of the Y chromosome made genetic sex determination even more complete: in such cases, sex is determined by the equilibrium between the numbers of autosomes and chromosomes.

REFERENCES

Astaurov, B. L. “Genetika pola.” In the collection Aktual’nye voprosy sovremennoi genetiki.[Moscow] 1966.
Breslavets, L. P. “Opredelenie i nasledstvennost’ pola u vysshikh rastenii.” Trudypoprikladnoi botanike, genetike i selektsii: Seriia 2; 1934, no. 6.
Ryzhkov, V. L. Genetika pola. [Kharkov] 1936.
Lobashev, M. E. Genetika, 2nd ed. Leningrad, 1967.

V. A. STRUNNIKOV


Sex

 

the aggregate of mental reactions, feelings, attitudes, and behavior associated with the manifestation and gratification of sexual desire.

What does it mean when you dream about sex?

Having sexual relations in a dream or seeing others having sex may indicate repressed desires for physical or emotional love, as well as the urge to “bond” and create new life. Sexuality is too complex and confused an area of modern life to capture here its broad range of possible meanings.

sex

[seks] (biology) The state of condition of an organism which comes to expression in the production of germ cells. To determine the sex of.

sex

1. the sum of the characteristics that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive function 2. either of the two categories, male or female, into which organisms are placed on this basis 3. short for sexual intercourse

SEX

/seks/ [Sun Users' Group & elsewhere] 1. Software EXchange. Atechnique invented by the blue-green algae hundreds ofmillions of years ago to speed up their evolution, which hadbeen terribly slow up until then. Today, SEX parties arepopular among hackers and others (of course, these are nolonger limited to exchanges of genetic software). In general,SEX parties are a Good Thing, but unprotected SEX canpropagate a virus. See also pubic directory.

2. The mnemonic often used for Sign EXtend, a machineinstruction found in the PDP-11 and many otherarchitectures. The RCA 1802 chip used in the early Elfand SuperElf personal computers had a "SEt X register" SEXinstruction, but this seems to have had little folkloricimpact.

DEC's engineers nearly got a PDP-11 assembler that usedthe "SEX" mnemonic out the door at one time, but (for once)marketing wasn't asleep and forced a change. That wasn't thelast time this happened, either. The author of "The Intel8086 Primer", who was one of the original designers of theIntel 8086, noted that there was originally a "SEX"instruction on that processor, too. He says that Intelmanagement got cold feet and decreed that it be changed, andthus the instruction was renamed "CBW" and "CWD" (depending onwhat was being extended). The Intel 8048 (themicrocontroller used in IBM PC keyboards) is also missingstraight "SEX" but has logical-or and logical-and instructions"ORL" and "ANL".

The Motorola 6809, used in the UK's "Dragon 32" personal computer, actually had an official "SEX" instruction; the6502 in the Apple II with which it competed did not.British hackers thought this made perfect mythic sense; afterall, it was commonly observed, you could (on some theoreticallevel) have sex with a dragon, but you can't have sex with anapple.

Sex

(dreams)It is very difficult to name just a few possible interpretations for this dream. It is so complex that interpretations vary with each dreamer and situation in the dream. A sexual dream may be about physical pleasure, but it may also be about power, control, manipulation, virility, and effectiveness. It may be a form of wish fulfillment or a memory, or compensation for a lack in daily life. In most cases, it is not a prediction of things to come in the near future. For some more clues, also see Intercourse and People.

sex


Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

sex

 [seks] 1. the fundamental distinction, found in most species of animals and plants, based on the type of gametes produced by the individual; also the category to which the individual fits on the basis of that criterion. Called also gender. See also identity" >gender identity and role" >gender role.2. to determine which of these categories an organism belongs in.3. intercourse" >sexual intercourse.chromosomal sex the sex as determined by the presence of the XX (female) or the XY (male) genotype in somatic cells, without regard to phenotypic manifestations. Called also genetic sex.endocrinologic sex the phenotypic manifestations of sex determined by endocrine influences, such as development of breasts and genital organs.genetic sex chromosomal sex.gonadal sex the sex as determined on the basis of the gonadal tissue present (ovarian or testicular).sex hormones glandular secretions involved in the regulation of sexual functions. The principal sex hormone in the male is testosterone, produced by the testes. In the female the principal sex hormones are the estrogens and progesterone, produced by the ovaries. These hormones influence the secondary sex characters, such as the shape and contour of the body, the distribution of body hair, and the pitch of the voice. The male hormones stimulate production of spermatozoa in men, and the female hormones control ovulation, pregnancy, and the menstrual cycle in women.morphological sex sex determined on the basis of the morphology of the external genitals.nuclear sex the sex as determined on the basis of the presence or absence of sex chromatin in somatic cells, its presence normally indicating the XX (female) genotype, and its absence the XY (male) genotype.

sex

(seks), 1. The biologic character or quality that distinguishes male and female from one another as expressed by analysis of the person's gonadal, morphologic (internal and external), chromosomal, and hormonal characteristics. Compare: gender. 2. The physiologic and psychological processes within a person that prompt behavior related to procreation or erotic pleasure. [L. sexus]

sex

(sĕks)n.1. a. Sexual activity, especially sexual intercourse: hasn't had sex in months.b. The sexual urge or instinct as it manifests itself in behavior: motivated by sex.2. a. Either of the two divisions, designated female and male, by which most organisms are classified on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions: How do you determine the sex of a lobster?b. The fact or condition of existing in these two divisions, especially the collection of characteristics that distinguish female and male: the evolution of sex in plants; a study that takes sex into account. See Usage Note at gender.3. Females or males considered as a group: dormitories that house only one sex.4. One's identity as either female or male.5. The genitals.tr.v. sexed, sexing, sexes To determine the sex of (an organism).

sex

Biology
The structural and functional characteristics of a person or organism that allow assignment as either male or female; sex is determined by chromosomes, hormones and external and internal genitalia (gonads).
EBM
The phenotypic (and psychosocial) expression of a person’s genotype, which defines a subject/patient in a clinical trial as male, female or other.
Psychology
A person's self-image and mental status as male, female or uncertain. Depending on the circumstances, this determination may be based on the appearance of the external genitalia or on karyotyping.
 
Sexology
One’s personal and reproductive status as male, female or uncertain, which is generally determined by the person’s internal and external genitalia.
Vox populi
Sexual activity or intercourse; genital interaction.

sex

Sexology Personal and reproductive status as ♂, ♀, etc, generally based on external genitalia Vox populi Sexual activity, genital interaction. See Anonymous sex, Non-coital sex, Oral sex, Phone sex, Rough sex, Solitary sex.

sex

(seks) 1. The biologic character or quality that distinguishes male and female from one another as expressed by analysis of the individual's gonadal, morphologic (internal and external), chromosomal, and hormonal characteristics.
Compare: gender
2. The physiologic and psychological processes within an individual that prompt behavior related to procreation or erotic pleasure. [L. sexus]

sex

1. Gender, as genetically determined. 2. The condition of being male or female. 3. The urge or instinct manifesting itself in behaviour directed towards copulation. 4. The genitalia. 5. A popular term for COITUS.

sex

(seks) 1. Biologic character or quality that distinguishes male and female from one another as expressed by analysis of person's gonadal, morphologic (internal and external), chromosomal, and hormonal characteristics. 2. Physiologic and psychological processes within a person that prompt behavior related to procreation or erotic pleasure. [L. sexus]

Patient discussion about sex

Q. Is it safe to have sex with my pregnant wife? My wife and I are 4 months pregnant and are expecting our first baby. Can we have sex? I am afraid it will harm the baby.A. Yes, sex is safe anytime during a normal pregnacy. Until her water breaks or the Doctor specifically tells you that you cannot have sex you can! I am happy to see you care about your wife and baby enough to ask!

Q. sex after giving birth My baby (Shelly) is three months now. Me and my husband tried having sex a couple of times since she was born, but the intercourse just hurts too much. Is this normal? I heard that sometimes when you get cuts during the birth they sew you too tight. Can it be the case? And if so, is this permanent or will it get better? A. as long as the wound is already recovered, I think you can start the sexual activities. But again it depends on every person, I think scoote had given us a good example for that.
In case you still feel some discomfort and even hurt sensation down there, it is advisable to go see your doctor, just to check.
Meanwhile, enjoy your life and my greeting for baby Shelly..

Q. Is it safe to have sex with a woman with cancer of the uterus? My 45-years old wife was told she have cancer in the uterus, and will have an operation soon. Meanwhile, should we use a condom during sex? Can the tumor pass from her to me (like AIDS or HPV)?A. unless the cancer has lots of bleeding, you don't need to use condoms.
but if your wife would undergo an operation, maybe you need to be off-of-that-sex 1-2 days prior to operation day, just to make sure there's no super infection that will bother the operation plan.

More discussions about sex

Sex


Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

SEX. The physical difference between male and female in animals.
2. In the human species the male is called man, (q.v.) and the female, woman. (q.v.) Some human beings whose sexual organs are somewhat imperfect, have acquired the name of hermaphrodite. (q.v.)
3. In the civil state the sex creates a difference among individuals. Women cannot generally be elected or appointed to offices or service in public capacities. In this our law agrees with that of other nations. The civil law excluded women from all offices civil or public: Faemintae ab omnibus officiis civilibus vel publicis remotae sunt. Dig. 50, 17, 2. The principal reason of this exclusion is to encourage that modesty which is natural to the female sex, and which renders them unqualified to mix and contend with men; the pretended weakness of the sex is not probably the true reason. Poth. Des Personnes, tit. 5; Wood's Inst. 12; Civ. Code of Louis. art. 24; 1 Beck's Med. Juris. 94. Vide Gender; Male; Man; Women; Worthiest of blood.

SEX


Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.
AcronymDefinition
SEXSet X (1802 COSMAC Assembler)
SEXSystem Extension
SEXSoftware Exchange
SEXSouthern Express
SEXSodium Ethyl Xanthate (mining industry flotation reagent)
SEXSimple Editor for X
SEXStash Enhancement Experience (as related to acquiring craft materials) :-)
SEXSports Entertainment Extreme
SEXSynergistic Energy Exchange
SEXSacred Energy Exchange
SEXSentence, Explanation, and Example (advice about writing essays)
SEXStatement Explanation Example (proofreading)
SEXStatement Example Explanation
SEXSomething Everybody Xeroxes :-)
SEXSign Extension Unit
SEXSourashtra Exchange

sex


Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.
  • all
  • noun
  • verb
  • phrase

Synonyms for sex

noun gender

Synonyms

  • gender

noun facts of life

Synonyms

  • facts of life
  • sexuality
  • reproduction
  • the birds and the bees

noun lovemaking

Synonyms

  • lovemaking
  • sexual relations
  • copulation
  • the other
  • fucking
  • screwing
  • intimacy
  • going to bed (with someone)
  • shagging
  • nookie
  • fornication
  • coitus
  • rumpy-pumpy
  • legover
  • coition

phrase have sex

Synonyms

  • have sexual intercourse
  • sleep with
  • make love with
  • have
  • lay
  • roger
  • bang
  • fuck
  • screw
  • shaft
  • poke
  • lie with
  • shag
  • hump
  • give someone one
  • do the business
  • get it on
  • go to bed with
  • fornicate
  • get your leg over
  • have your way with

Synonyms for sex

noun activities associated with sexual intercourse

Synonyms

  • sex activity
  • sexual activity
  • sexual practice

Related Words

  • bondage
  • outercourse
  • safe sex
  • conception
  • carnal knowledge
  • coition
  • coitus
  • sex act
  • sexual congress
  • sexual intercourse
  • sexual relation
  • copulation
  • intercourse
  • relation
  • congress
  • pleasure
  • love life
  • lovemaking
  • making love
  • sexual love
  • love
  • carnal abuse
  • mating
  • pairing
  • sexual union
  • union
  • coupling
  • conjugation
  • facts of life
  • procreation
  • reproduction
  • breeding
  • foreplay
  • stimulation
  • arousal
  • sexual perversion
  • perversion
  • autoeroticism
  • autoerotism
  • promiscuity
  • promiscuousness
  • sleeping around
  • lechery
  • gayness
  • homoeroticism
  • homosexualism
  • homosexuality
  • queerness
  • bisexuality
  • heterosexualism
  • heterosexuality
  • straightness
  • zooerastia
  • zooerasty
  • bestiality
  • bodily function
  • bodily process
  • body process
  • activity

noun either of the two categories (male or female) into which most organisms are divided

Related Words

  • category
  • class
  • family

noun all of the feelings resulting from the urge to gratify sexual impulses

Synonyms

  • sexual urge

Related Words

  • feeling

noun the properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles

Synonyms

  • sexuality
  • gender

Related Words

  • physiological property
  • maleness
  • masculinity
  • androgyny
  • bisexuality
  • hermaphroditism
  • femaleness
  • feminineness

verb stimulate sexually

Synonyms

  • wind up
  • excite
  • turn on
  • arouse

Related Words

  • stimulate
  • stir
  • shake up
  • excite
  • shake
  • tempt

verb tell the sex (of young chickens)

Related Words

  • differentiate
  • distinguish
  • secern
  • secernate
  • severalise
  • severalize
  • tell apart
  • separate
  • tell
随便看

 

英语词典包含2567994条英英释义在线翻译词条,基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法,是英语学习的有利工具。

 

Copyright © 2004-2022 Newdu.com All Rights Reserved
更新时间:2024/12/23 17:51:40