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Glite Dictionary
primary sex characteristic

primary sex characteristic

5.2
A body part you are born with that helps make babies, like genitals or ovaries
  • noun
  • /ˈpraɪˌmɛri sɛks ˌkɛrɪkˈtɛrɪstɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : característica sexual primaria
  • At birth, doctors identify the baby's gender based on primary sex characteristics.

Examples

  • In mammals, the presence of primary sex characteristics, such as ovaries or testes, is crucial for reproduction.

  • In mammals, the presence of ovaries or testes is a primary sex characteristic.

  • Abnormal development of primary sex characteristics can indicate certain medical conditions.

  • The primary sex characteristic of males is the presence of testes.

  • Females have a primary sex characteristic known as ovaries.

  • At birth, doctors identify the baby's gender based on primary sex characteristics.

  • The primary sex characteristic of males is the presence of testes.

Synonyms

primary sexual characteristic
vsprimary sex characteristic
  • Specialized
7.6

A body part you are born with that is used to make babies, like genitals

is described as directly involved rather than strictly essential for reproduction
primary sex character
vsprimary sex characteristic
  • Specialized
8.8

Body parts used for having babies, like genitals, that show if someone is male or female

focuses on birth physical features involved in reproduction not genetic distinction

Surface Forms

primary sex characteristic singular
primary sex characteristics plural

Morphology

primary + sex + characteristic

The phrase is directly compositionally built from 'primary' (main/first), 'sex' (biological category), and 'characteristic' (distinguishing feature), yielding the meaning 'the main/reproductive-related bodily feature'. This is a transparent, cross-linguistically common construction (e.g. Spanish/French equivalents), so a B1 learner who knows the three words can infer the intended meaning despite its slightly technical register.

Etymology

Primary sex characteristic is built from primary, meaning 'first' or 'main', sex, meaning 'male or female', and characteristic, meaning a 'feature'. It refers to body parts like genitals, ovaries, or testes that are usually present at birth and help make babies, so the phrase means a body feature present at birth that is directly involved in making babies.