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The word Gender is derived from the Old French word genre, meaning "kind of thing". It has several meanings in modern usage:

• Gender as a linguistic term is a grammatical distinction and applies to words only, generally assigning them to the classes masculine, feminine or neuter. See grammatical gender.

• Gender as a sociological term refers to a particular social status, and cluster of roles, that are often (but not exclusively) assigned on the basis of sex. See sociological gender.

• Gender is commonly used as a synonym for sex, refering to "males" and "females" classified according to genotypic differences and distinct primary and secondary sex characteristics. This usage is considered incorrect by some. Also known as biological gender.

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For usages relating to grammar and linguistics see

• Grammatical gender
• Gender-neutral pronouns
• Gender-specific pronoun
• Non-sexist language
• Singular they

For usages relating to sex and human relations see

• Gender and sexuality studies
• Gender studies
• Sexual orientation
• Transgender
• Transsexual
• Legal aspects of transsexualism
• Hate crime
• Patriarchy
• Psychology

For the use of the term in literary criticism see

• gender analysis

Situations sometimes arise where gender may be mimicked by inanimate objects, notably in cable connectors that have male and female counterparts. In this context see

• Gender changer