SEX CHARACTERISTIC

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sex characteristic mean? 

• SEX CHARACTERISTIC (noun)
  The noun SEX CHARACTERISTIC has 1 sense:

1. those characteristics (both anatomical and psychological) that are strongly associated with one sex relative to the other

  Familiarity information: SEX CHARACTERISTIC used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SEX CHARACTERISTIC (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Those characteristics (both anatomical and psychological) that are strongly associated with one sex relative to the other

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

sex character; sex characteristic; sexual characteristic

Hypernyms ("sex characteristic" is a kind of...):

characteristic; feature (a prominent attribute or aspect of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sex characteristic"):

primary sex character; primary sex characteristic; primary sexual characteristic (the genetically determined sex characteristics bound up with reproduction (genitals and organs of reproduction))

secondary sex character; secondary sex characteristic; secondary sexual characteristic (the genetically determined sex characteristics that are not functionally necessary for reproduction (pitch of the voice and body hair and musculature))

virilism (the development of male secondary sexual characteristics in a female (or prematurely in a young boy))