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40-555: A boy is a young male human . The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent . When a male human reaches adulthood, he is usually described as a man . According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary , a boy is "a male child from birth to adulthood". The word "boy" comes from Middle English boi, boye ("boy, servant"), related to other Germanic words for boy , namely East Frisian boi ("boy, young man") and West Frisian boai ("boy"). Although

80-495: A sexual system called androdioecy . They can also coexist with females and hermaphrodites, a sexual system called trioecy . The sex of a particular organism may be determined by a number of factors. These may be genetic or environmental, or may naturally change during the course of an organism's life. Although most species have only two sexes (either male or female), hermaphroditic animals, such as worms , have both male and female reproductive organs. Not all species share

120-466: A benchmark for boys to assess their peers. The adherence to these group norms often holds more weight than the mere affiliation to the group. In fact, boys who do not conform to these norms are often evaluated lower than those who, despite being strangers, conform to the group’s norms. This phenomenon underscores the powerful influence of group norms in shaping attitudes and actions, and the social implications of conformity. Boys who defy gender norms may face

160-423: A black man as "boy". During an event promoting the 2017 boxing bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor , the latter told the former to "dance for me, boy." The remarks led several boxers – including Mayweather and Andre Ward – as well as multiple commentators to accuse McGregor of racism. Human sex is determined at fertilization when the genetic sex of the zygote is determined by whether

200-455: A common sex-determination system . In most animals , including humans , sex is determined genetically ; however, species such as Cymothoa exigua change sex depending on the number of females present in the vicinity. Most mammals , including humans , are genetically determined as such by the XY sex-determination system where males have XY (as opposed to XX in females) sex chromosomes . It

240-454: A few species. Anisogamy appears to have evolved multiple times from isogamy; for example, female Volvocales (a type of green algae) evolved from the plus mating type. Although sexual evolution emerged at least 1.2 billion years ago, the lack of anisogamous fossil records make it hard to pinpoint when males evolved. One theory suggests male evolved from the dominant mating type (called mating type minus). A common symbol used to represent

280-484: A higher risk of abuse, and may experience more depression than gender-conforming peers, as well as social stigma from parents and peers. The gender policing towards them can increase the risk of alcohol use, anxiety, and depression in adulthood. In some cultures, the birth of a male child (boy) is considered prosperous. Boys perform the majority of child labor around the world compared to girls; 88 million child laborers are boys and 64 million are girls. Boys are also

320-418: A way of displaying traits that signify their fitness . Sexual selection is believed to be the driving force behind the development of these characteristics. Differences in physical size and the ability to fulfill the requirements of sexual selection have contributed significantly to the outcome of secondary sex characteristics in each species. In many species, males differ from females in more ways than just

360-399: Is a cylindrical organ filled with spongy tissue. It is the organ used by boys to expel urine . The foreskin of some boys' penises is removed in a process known as circumcision . The scrotum is a loose sac of skin behind the penis which contains the testicles. Testicles are oval-shaped gonads. A boy generally possesses two testicles. Internal male reproductive organs include the vas deferens ,

400-462: Is also possible in a variety of species, including humans, to be XX male or have other karyotypes . During reproduction , a male can give either an X sperm or a Y sperm, while a female can only give an X egg. A Y sperm and an X egg produce a male, while an X sperm and an X egg produce a female . The part of the Y-chromosome which is responsible for maleness is the sex-determining region of

440-407: Is called ejaculation. During puberty, a boy's erect penis becomes capable of ejaculating semen and impregnating a female . A boy's first ejaculation is an important milestone in his development. On average, a boy's first ejaculation occurs at age 13. Ejaculation sometimes occurs during sleep; this phenomenon is known as a nocturnal emission . When a boy reaches puberty, testosterone triggers

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480-462: Is now a fructose-rich, alkaline fluid containing sperm as it enters the bulbourethral glands below the prostate. The bulbourethral glands secrete a small amount of clear fluid into the urethra before the ejaculate is expelled. The functions of this fluid are not entirely known but are suggested to aid in lubricating the male urethra in preparation for the semen during ejaculation. The amount of semen produced and expelled during ejaculation corresponds to

520-421: Is one of the main reasons why boys are preferred over girls by the rural communities in poor countries. In India , by contrast, the majority of adopted children are girls even though boys are preferred in general compared to girls. Male Male ( symbol : ♂ ) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm , which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum , in

560-516: Is one way by which we judge many of our present boys to be quite different from some of those who were here long ago: those that are married have their wives here with them, and build their own houses, and all are busy making their gardens. I have told all the boys that if they wished to stay here and learn, those that had wives must bring them. Multiple politicians – including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Kentucky Congressman Geoff Davis – have been criticized publicly for referring to

600-411: Is true for many species of birds where the male displays more vibrant colors than the female, making them more noticeable to potential mates. These characteristics have evolved over time as a result of sexual selection, as males who exhibited these traits were more successful in attracting mates and passing on their genes. Ejaculatory ducts Ejaculation occurs in two stages, the emission stage and

640-529: The ejaculatory ducts , the urethra , the seminal vesicles , and the prostate gland. Puberty is the process by which children's bodies mature into adult bodies that are capable of reproduction. On average, boys begin puberty at ages 11–12 and complete puberty at ages 16–17. In boys, puberty begins with the enlargement of the testicles and scrotum. The penis also increases in size, and a boy develops pubic hair. A boy's testicles also begin making sperm. The release of semen, which contains sperm and other fluids,

680-401: The sperm cell contains an X or Y chromosome. If the sperm cell contains an X chromosome , the fetus will be XX and, typically, a girl will develop. A sperm cell carrying a Y chromosome results in an XY combination, and typically a boy will develop. Variations from this general rule result in intersex fetuses. In male embryos at six to seven weeks' gestation, "the expression of a gene on

720-404: The Y chromosome induces changes that result in the development of the testes". At approximately nine weeks' gestation, the production of testosterone by a male embryo results in the development of the male reproductive system. The male reproductive system includes both external and internal organs. The external organs include the penis , the scrotum , and the testicles (or testes). The penis

760-653: The Y-chromosome, the SRY . The SRY activates Sox9 , which forms feedforward loops with FGF9 and PGD 2 in the gonads , allowing the levels of these genes to stay high enough in order to cause male development; for example, Fgf9 is responsible for development of the spermatic cords and the multiplication of Sertoli cells , both of which are crucial to male sexual development. The ZW sex-determination system , where males have ZZ (as opposed to ZW in females) sex chromosomes, may be found in birds and some insects (mostly butterflies and moths ) and other organisms. Members of

800-630: The context of gender , such as for gender role or gender identity of a man or boy . For example, according to Merriam-Webster, "male" can refer to "having a gender identity that is the opposite of female". According to the Cambridge Dictionary, "male" can mean "belonging or relating to men". Male can also refer to a shape of connectors . Species that are divided into females and males are classified as gonochoric in animals, as dioecious in seed plants and as dioicous in cryptogams . Males can coexist with hermaphrodites,

840-486: The development of secondary sex characteristics. A boy's muscles increase in size and mass, his voice deepens, his bones lengthen, and the shape of his face and body changes. The increased secretion of testosterone from the testicles during puberty causes the male secondary sexual characteristics to be manifested. Male secondary sex characteristics include: Boys across various age groups are often part of social circles that establish their own unique norms. These norms serve as

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880-425: The dominant individual in a group becomes female while the other ones are male. In many arthropods , sex is determined by infection with parasitic , endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus Wolbachia . The bacterium can only be transmitted via infected ova, and the presence of the obligate endoparasite may be required for female sexual viability. Male animals have evolved to use secondary sex characteristics as

920-729: The exact etymology is obscure, the English and Frisian forms probably derive from an earlier Anglo-Frisian * bō-ja ("little brother"), a diminutive of the Germanic root * bō- ("brother, male relation"), from Proto-Indo-European * bhā- , * bhāt- ("father, brother"). The root is also found in Norwegian dialectal boa ("brother"), and, through a reduplicated variant * bō-bō- , in Old Norse bófi , Dutch boef "(criminal) knave, rogue", German Bube ("knave, rogue, boy"). Furthermore,

960-402: The expulsion stage. The emission stage involves the workings of several structures of the ejaculatory duct; contractions of the prostate gland, the seminal vesicles , the bulbourethral gland and the vas deferens push fluids into the prostatic urethra . The semen is stored here until ejaculation occurs. Muscles at the base of the penis contract in order to propel the seminal fluid trapped in

1000-400: The female and male gamete-producing organisms and structures but also the structures of the sporophytes that give rise to male and female plants. The evolution of anisogamy led to the evolution of male and female function. Before the evolution of anisogamy, mating types in a species were isogamous : the same size and both could move, catalogued only as "+" or "-" types. In anisogamy,

1040-479: The historical evidence favours "the conclusion of the French classical scholar Claude de Saumaise (Salmasius, 1588–1683)" that it is derived from θρ , the contraction of a Greek name for the planet Mars, which is Thouros . Borrowed from Old French masle , from Latin masculus ("masculine, male, worthy of a man"), diminutive of mās ("male person or animal, male"). In humans, the word male can be used in

1080-529: The insect order Hymenoptera , such as ants and bees , are often determined by haplodiploidy , where most males are haploid and females and some sterile males are diploid . However, fertile diploid males may still appear in some species, such as Cataglyphis cursor . In some species of reptiles, such as alligators , sex is determined by the temperature at which the egg is incubated. Other species, such as some snails , practice sex change: adults start out male, then become female. In tropical clown fish ,

1120-410: The length of time that the male is sexually aroused before ejaculation occurs. Generally, the longer the period of arousal, the larger the amount of seminal fluid. Ejaculation and orgasm may occur simultaneously, however they are not coupled, in that one may occur without the other. For example, a man may have a dry orgasm (termed retrograde ejaculation ); there is no expulsion of ejaculate however

1160-522: The male sex is the Mars symbol ♂, a circle with an arrow pointing northeast . The Unicode code-point is: The symbol is identical to the planetary symbol of Mars . It was first used to denote sex by Carl Linnaeus in 1751. The symbol is sometimes seen as a stylized representation of the shield and spear of the Roman god Mars . According to William T. Stearn , however, this derivation is "fanciful" and all

1200-548: The man still experiences orgasm. Also, paraplegics may ejaculate seminal fluid but not experience the sensation of orgasm. Ejaculatory duct obstruction is an acquired or congenital pathological condition in which one or both ejaculatory ducts are obstructed. In the case that both ejaculatory ducts are obstructed, this illness presents with the symptoms of aspermia and male infertility . Surgery to correct benign prostatic hyperplasia may destroy these ducts resulting in retrograde ejaculation . Retrograde ejaculation empties

1240-494: The mating type is called a gamete. The male gamete is smaller than the female gamete, and usually mobile. Anisogamy remains poorly understood, as there is no fossil record of its emergence. Numerous theories exist as to why anisogamy emerged. Many share a common thread, in that larger female gametes are more likely to survive, and that smaller male gametes are more likely to find other gametes because they can travel faster. Current models often fail to account for why isogamy remains in

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1280-421: The molecular level) to anisogamous species with gametes of male and female types to oogamous species in which the female gamete is very much larger than the male and has no ability to move. There is a good argument that this pattern was driven by the physical constraints on the mechanisms by which two gametes get together as required for sexual reproduction . Accordingly, sex is defined across species by

1320-460: The primary victims of hazardous child labor. They are mainly employed in the agriculture , construction and mining sectors. Boy workers also account for about 87 percent of those who died on the job between 2003 and 2016 in the US. Boys are given a basic reading, writing and mathematics skill and then forced to pursue their father's profession in order to alleviate financial burden of the family. This

1360-437: 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 . Most male mammals , including male humans, have a Y chromosome , which codes for the production of larger amounts of testosterone to develop male reproductive organs . In humans, the word male can also be used to refer to gender , in

1400-572: The production of sperm. For example, in some insects and fish, the male is smaller than the female. In seed plants, the sporophyte sex organ of a single organism includes both the male and female parts. In mammals, including humans, males are typically larger than females. This is often attributed to the need for male mammals to be physically stronger and more competitive in order to win mating opportunities. In humans specifically, males have more body hair and muscle mass than females. Birds often exhibit colorful plumage that attracts females. This

1440-428: The prostatic urethra through the penile urethra and expel it through the urinary meatus . The ejaculate is expelled in spurts, due to the movement of the muscles propelling it. These muscle contractions are related to the sensations of orgasm for the male. Sperm are produced in the testes and enter the ejaculatory ducts via the vas deferens. As they pass by the seminal vesicles, a fluid rich in fructose combines with

1480-446: The social sense of gender role or gender identity . The use of "male" in regard to sex and gender has been subject to discussion . The existence of separate sexes has evolved independently at different times and in different lineages , an example of convergent evolution . The repeated pattern is sexual reproduction in isogamous species with two or more mating types with gametes of identical form and behavior (but different at

1520-449: The sperm. This addition nourishes the sperm in order to keep them active and motile. Seminal fluid continues down the ejaculatory duct into the prostate gland, where an alkaline prostatic fluid is added. This addition provides the texture and odor associated with semen. The alkalinity of the prostatic fluid serves to neutralize the acidity of the female vaginal tract in order to prolong the survival of sperm in this harsh environment. Semen

1560-422: The type of gametes produced (i.e.: spermatozoa vs. ova) and differences between males and females in one lineage are not always predictive of differences in another. Male/female dimorphism between organisms or reproductive organs of different sexes is not limited to animals; male gametes are produced by chytrids , diatoms and land plants , among others. In land plants, female and male designate not only

1600-481: The word may be related to Bōia , an Anglo-Saxon personal name. Historically, in the United States and South Africa, "boy" was used not only for domestic servants but also more generally as a disparaging term for black men; the term implied a subservient status. Thomas Branch, an early African-American Seventh-day Adventist missionary to Nyassaland ( Malawi ) referred to the native students as "boys": There

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