Male version of hembra?

Question

I was watching "Avatar" en español anoche and one of the characters said about a horse "Es una hembra" meaning "She's a female".

I have looked for the word that would describe male in biological terms but there is no word hembro. Looking up "male" in the dictionary only gives words like hombre, masculino, etc. but I was wondering what is the masculine equivalent of hembra.

Answer 1

Hi Leslie.

Varón = male

Macho = male animal

Answer 2

"Macho" is also a 'biological" term (can be applied to any human/animal). If you mean to ask "Why doesn't one say 'hembro' or 'macha'?", the answer would be, because Spanish did not (for whatever reason) develop alternative forms for those words but, instead, used entirely different words.

Much the same thing happened in English. One does not say "stallioness"/"stallionette" (for "mare") nor "ramess"/"ramette" (for "ewe"). When the distinction is really important (for whatever reason) we tend to coin quite different terms. When it it is not, we tend to follow the (simpler) sorts of modifying an accepted word.

Good comments, Samdie. Actually the lack of hembra/macha didn't occur to me, but the fact that the dictionary noted that hembra was a biological term but didn't note any male equivalent as biological got me to wondering. Good stuff, thanks for postiing. - Lrtward, Jun 8, 2010

Answer 3

Hola

I have pencilled in in my Dictionary: La hembra = femine El Macho = male - for animals This is for Andalucia in Spain mind you.

La hembra. - samdie, Jun 7, 2010

Thanks - typo! Now corrected. - caza, Jun 8, 2010

Answer 4

Everyone's correct so far, but...

In slang terms, a "macho" is a very male man. A He Man. A virile hombre.

Like me, in this here portrait I took to impress the ladies of the Forum!

Raaaarghhh!!!

I swear I almost peed my pants laughing!!!! You are too funny!!! - amykay, Jun 7, 2010

I must say I am impressed !Red is your color - nizhoni1, Jun 7, 2010

I know I can count you among my inconditional fawning fans, darling Ninzhoni. I appreciate your loyalty :-) - Gekkosan, Jun 7, 2010

Love the 6 pack! - caza, Jun 8, 2010

My thread has been touched by one of the beautiful people. Thank you, Gekkosan. I am forever in your debt. - Lrtward, Jun 8, 2010

Answer 5

Well thank you both! I had seen macho and varón but thought those were not equivalent to hembra because the dictionary specifically states that hembra is a biological term.

So I think that varón is male person and el macho is male animal.. is that correct?

Yes, you've got it! - --Mariana--, Jun 7, 2010

Male animal like Gekkosan - nizhoni1, Jun 7, 2010

Yah!! Muy Macho!! - Gekkosan, Jun 7, 2010

It's only the third response and we've already digressed this much? ;) - Lrtward, Jun 8, 2010