♂
Translingual
Etymology
The circle and arrow represent the shield and spear, respectively, of the Ancient Roman god of war Mars.[1]
Symbol
♂
- Male.
- 1961 August 17, New Scientist, volume 11, number 248 (in English), Reed Business Information, →ISSN, page 413:
- In his Mantissa Plantarum (1767) and Mantissa Plantarum altera (1771), [Linnaeus] regularly used ♂, ♀ and ☿ for male, female and hermaphrodite flowers respectively.
- 1990, Charles S. Churcher, “Cranial Appendages of Giraffoidea”, George A. Bubenik, Anthony B. Bubenik, Horns, Pronghorns, and Antlers: Evolution, Morphology, Physiology, and Social Significance, New York: Springer-Verlag, →ISBN, chapter 1.5, page 183:
- Figure 2. Ossicones, secondary ossification, and sinuses of Giraffa: A Lateral aspect of skull showing courses of veins, areas of dense ossification (heavily stippled) and lesser secondary ossification (lightly stippled), and outlines of skull roofs of male (♂) and female (♀) adults. (After Spinage 1968b.)
- (astronomy, astrology) Mars.
- (alchemy) Iron dominated by Mars.
Antonyms
- (male): ♀
Related terms
References
- ^ “Solar System Symbols”, in Solar System Exploration[1], NASA and the Planetary Institute, 2018 January 30, retrieved November 3, 2019: “The symbol for Neptune is the trident (long three-pronged fork or weapon) of Neptune, god of the sea.”