Meaning
male
- boy
In a sentence
Il mio gatto è un maschio molto tranquillo.
My cat is a very calm male.
Hai un maschio o una femmina?
Do you have a male or a female?
Da piccoli, io e mio fratello eravamo due maschi.
When we were little, my brother and I were two boys.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| maschio | masculine · singular |
| maschi | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- For people and animals, maschio contrasts with femmina. Uomo means man, not male; ragazzo means boy, not specifically male.
- As an adjective, it follows the noun and agrees: voce maschile, cane maschio. Don’t use *maschio* alone where English uses 'man'.
- For children, figlio means son; maschio often just highlights sex: È un maschio! common for babies, less so for older children.