4 ms·

In the English language they are: The term has been used to distinguish male and female for over 200 years, and increasingly so for the last 50 years. Of course

In the English language they are: The term has been used to distinguish male and female for over 200 years, and increasingly so for the last 50 years. Of course we have proof of this. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?year_end=2019&year_start=1800&smoothing=3&content=male+gender%2Cfemale+gender&corpus=26&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cmale%20gender%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cfemale%20gender%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?year_end=2019&year_sta... Compare also: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?year_end=2019&year_start=1800&smoothing=3&content=male+gender%2C+female+gender&corpus=26&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cmale%20gender%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cfemale%20gender%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?year_end=2019&year_sta... Neologisms like "biological male/female" barely register, so I won't include them.

User23 6y ago
Historically male and female are sexes and masculine, feminine, and neuter are genders.
- dragonwriter 6y ago
  Historically, the distinction between sex, ascribed gender, and gender identity hasn't been made until very recently, with “sex” (in the sense of male vs. female) and “gender” being used as synonyms, with “gender” often preferred over “sex” simply to avoid confusion with (or just evocation of) the other (intercourse) sense of “sex”; “masculine” and “feminine” weren't used for most of history for either ascribed gender or gender identity as traits of people, but for something closer to gender expression (adherence to sex stereotypes.) (“Gender” referring to a grammatical trait, where “masculine” and “feminine” are among the possible values is an older concept, sure, but that's not really particularly relevant.)
  - leephillips 6y ago
    Exactly. I would add that, among people who are not squeamish about the word “sex”, it is the preferred term for distinguishing male and female, while “gender” is more useful in discussing the grammar of romance languages.

User23 6y ago

Historically male and female are sexes and masculine, feminine, and neuter are genders.

dragonwriter 6y ago
Historically, the distinction between sex, ascribed gender, and gender identity hasn't been made until very recently, with “sex” (in the sense of male vs. female) and “gender” being used as synonyms, with “gender” often preferred over “sex” simply to avoid confusion with (or just evocation of) the other (intercourse) sense of “sex”; “masculine” and “feminine” weren't used for most of history for either ascribed gender or gender identity as traits of people, but for something closer to gender expression (adherence to sex stereotypes.) (“Gender” referring to a grammatical trait, where “masculine” and “feminine” are among the possible values is an older concept, sure, but that's not really particularly relevant.)
- leephillips 6y ago
  Exactly. I would add that, among people who are not squeamish about the word “sex”, it is the preferred term for distinguishing male and female, while “gender” is more useful in discussing the grammar of romance languages.