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Male
Sex of an organism which produces sperm / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the male sex. For the capital of the Maldives, see Malé. For other uses, see Male (disambiguation).
Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete,[1][2][3] or ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to at least one ovum from a female, but some organisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually.[4] Most male mammals, including male humans, have a Y chromosome,[5][6] which codes for the production of larger amounts of testosterone to develop male reproductive organs.
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In humans, the word male can also be used to refer to gender, in the social sense of gender role or gender identity.[7][better source needed] The use of "male" in regard to sex and gender has been subject to discussion.