sex

Etymology 1

From Middle English sexe (“gender”), from Old French sexe (“genitals; gender”), from Latin sexus (“gender; gender traits; males or females; genitals”), from Proto-Italic *seksus, from Proto-Indo-European *séksus, from *sek- (“to cut, cut off, sever”), thus meaning "section, division" (into male and female). Usage for women influenced by Middle French le sexe (“women”) (attested in 1580). Usage for third and additional sexes calqued from French troisième sexe, referring to masculine women in 1817 and homosexuals in 1847. First used by Lord Byron and others in English in reference to Catholic clergy. Usage for sexual intercourse first attested in 1900 (in the writings of H.G. Wells).

noun

1. (countable) A category into which sexually-reproducing organisms are divided on the basis of their reproductive roles in their species.
   The effect of the medication is dependent upon age, sex, and other factors.
   The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. 1918, Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
   I would never have guessed […] that slime molds can have thirteen sexes. 1994, Valerie Harms, Uc Rodale Nat Aud Enviro, page 268
2. (countable) Another category, especially of humans and especially based on sexuality or gender roles.
   But now another sex, in arms, is brought, / And, realms to guard, are eunuchs able thought! 1817, The works of Claudian, tr. into Engl. verse by A. Hawkins, page 43
   A black old neutral personage Of the third sex stept up. 1821, Lord Byron, Don Juan, Canto V, Stanza xxvi, line 148
   I have encountered officers who believe a woman got a better assignment or somehow "got over" because of her sex. 1992, United States Naval Institute Proceedings, volume 118, page 23
3. (countable) The members of such a category, taken collectively.
   It was a weakness In me, but incident to all our sex. 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes, section 774
   The sensibility of the female sex appears […] to be greater than that of the male. 1780, Jeremy Bentham, Introduction to the Principles of Morals & Legislation, vi, §35
4. (uncountable) The distinction and relation between these categories, especially in humans; gender.
   A lot of women now like men to pay for them on dates... We've dealt with the outdated view of sex underpinning this. November 11 2005, Guardian, section 18
5. (obsolete or literary, uncountable, with "the") Women; the human female gender and those who belong to it.
   The sex of Venice are undoubtedly of a distinguished beauty. November 3 1789, Arthur Young, Travels... undertaken with a view of ascertaining the cultivation... of the kingdom of France, i, 220
   I was not, however, better than my neighbors; the Sex had its charms for me as it had for others; But there always remained a sting, that time only wore away. c. 1840, George Nelson, Reminiscenses
   Even the reptile temperament of Noel Vanstone warmed under the influence of the sex: he had an undeniably appreciative eye for a handsome woman, and Magdalen's grace and beauty were not thrown away on him. 1862, Wilkie Collins, No Name
6. (uncountable) Sexual activity, usually sexual intercourse unless preceded by a modifier.
   We marry in fear and trembling, sex for a home is the woman's traffic, and the man comes to his heart's desire when his heart's desire is dead. 1900, H. G. Wells, Love and Mr. Lewisham, London: Harper, page 144
   If you want to have sex, you've got to trust At the core of your heart, the other creature. 1929, D.H. Lawrence, Pansies, section 57
   1934, translation of the Qur'an (23:5) by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (The believers ... those ... ) who abstain from sex
   Why wasn't Bond ‘more tender’ in his love-making? Why did he just ‘have sex’ and disappear? 1962 June 7, The Listener, 1006/2
   It wouldn't work with you... Sex, I mean. You're... easy to be with. You're... you're not dangerous. You're my best friend, John. I couldn't have it on with my best friend, John. It would be embarrassing. Sorry. Honest. 1990, House of Cards, season 1, episode 3
7. (countable, euphemistic or slang) Genitalia: a penis or vagina.
   Another ha's gon through with the bargain... One that will find the way to her Sex, before you'le come to kissing her hand. 1664, Thomas Killigrew, Princess, ii, ii
   And the black cypresses strained upwards like the sex of a hanged man. 1938, David Gascoyne, Hölderlin's Madness, section 18
   She touched his sex with her hand. 1993, Catherine Coulter, The Heiress Bride, page 354
   And he put in a fake sex (penis) because he wanted to make the scene more real, more rude. March 2 2003, Daily News, New York, section 2

verb

1. (zoology, transitive) To determine the sex of (an animal).
   If we sex the cattle, which is the only way to get at their value, we shall have... 400 cows, 200 yearling heifers. 1878-01-19, Spirit of the Times, 659/2
   The ability to sex birds invasively through laparoscopy initially solved that problem, but now it is even easier and less stressful on the birds through testing the DNA of their feathers or blood. 2007, Clive Roots, Domestication, page 75
   Semen usually is sexed at 90% accuracy, and the sexes of calves at birth almost always are in that statistical range if averaged over […] 2013, David J Patterson, Michael T. Smith, Beef Heifer Development, An Issue of Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice,, Elsevier Health Sciences
2. (chiefly US, colloquial, transitive) To have sex with.
   He shows some glimpses, but most of the released singles are about flossing, partying, and sexing women. 2007, Mickey Hess, Icons of hip hop : an encyclopedia of the movement, music, and culture. 2, Greenwood Publishing Group, page 427
   Sex with Ivory had gotten better than sexing his wife. Herschel laughed with Ivory, cried with Ivory. They dreamt aloud together. Unlike Nikki, Ivory believed in him. Every man needed a woman who believed in him. 2009, HoneyB, Single Husbands, Grand Central Publishing
   "Do you ever think about how you're betraying your client while you're sexing his wife?" 2012, Janice Jones, His Woman, His Wife, His Widow, Urban Books
   Wosick-Correa, K. R., 81 Joseph, L. J. Sexy ladies sexing ladies: Women as consumers in strip clubs. Journal of Sex Research, 45, 3 (July 2008), 201-216. 2014, Jerrold S. Greenberg, Clint E. Bruess, Sara B. Oswalt, Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, page 731
   His body shook uncontrollably as he imagined another man sexing his wife. 2014, Anya Nicole, Judgment Day, Urban Books
   The last thing a jealous husband wants to think about is another man sexing his wife when he's dead and gone. 2015, Pimpin' Ken, The Art of Human Chess: A Study Guide to Winning, page 117
   Sexing his wife anally would remind him of having sex with Baron. 2016, Nisa Santiago, Killer Dolls - Part 3, Melodrama Publishing
   The neighbor guy, I just came to understand, is sexing the lady across the street from him. He's got a girlfriend. She is married. While I don't think that is particularly cool, I also don't think it is any of my business either. 2019, Michael Jean Nystrom-Schut, Foundations of Philosophy: The Basics of the Balance (Volume Iil), AuthorHouse
3. (chiefly US, colloquial, intransitive) To have sex.
   Our baby is eighteen months old now, and cries when we sex 1921-08-20, Kenneth Burke, letter to Malcolm Cowley

Etymology 2

From sect.

noun

1. (obsolete) Alternative form of sect.