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The symbol of the Roman goddess Venus is often used to represent the female sex.

Female (♀) is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova (egg cells).

Defining characteristics[link]

The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male. A female individual cannot reproduce sexually without access to the gametes of a male (an exception is parthenogenesis). Some organisms can reproduce both sexually and asexually.

There is no single genetic mechanism behind sex differences in different species and the existence of two sexes seems to have evolved multiple times independently in different evolutionary lineages^{[citation needed]}. Patterns of sexual reproduction include

• isogamous species with two or more mating types with gametes of identical form and behavior (but different at the molecular level),
• anisogamous species with gametes of male and female types,
• oogamous species in which the female gamete is very much larger than the male and has no ability to move. There is an argument that this pattern was driven by the physical constraints on the mechanisms by which two gametes get together as required for sexual reproduction.^[1]

Other than the defining difference in the type of gamete produced, differences between males and females in one lineage cannot always be predicted by differences in another. The concept is not limited to animals; egg cells are produced by chytrids, diatoms, water moulds and land plants, among others. In land plants, female and male designate not only the egg- and sperm-producing organisms and structures, but also the structures of the sporophytes that give rise to male and female plants.

Etymology and usage[link]

The word female comes from the Latin femella, the diminutive form of femina, meaning "woman," which is not etymologically related to the word male. In the late 14th century, the spelling was altered in English to parallel the spelling of male.^[2]

Mammalian female[link]

A distinguishing characteristic of the class Mammalia is the presence of mammary glands. The mammary glands are modified sweat glands that produce milk, which is used to feed the young for some time after birth. Only mammals produce milk. Mammary glands are most obvious in humans, as the female human body stores large amounts of fatty tissue near the nipples, resulting in prominent breasts. Today some human females also surgically augment their breast size. However, mammary glands are present in all mammals, although they are vestigial in the male of the species.

The mammalian female has two copies of the X chromosome as opposed to the male which carries only one X and one smaller Y chromosome. To compensate for the difference in size, one of the female's X chromosomes is randomly inactivated in each cell. In birds and reptiles, by contrast, it is the female who is heterozygous and carries a Z and a W chromosome whilst the male carries two Z chromosomes.

Mammalian females bear live young (with the rare exception of monotremes, which lay eggs). Some non-mammalian species, such as guppies, have analogous reproductive structures; and some other non-mammals, such as sharks, whose eggs hatch inside their bodies, also have the appearance of bearing live young.

Symbol[link]

A common symbol used to represent the female sex is ♀ (Unicode: U+2640 Alt codes: Alt+12), a circle with a small cross underneath. According to Schott^[3], the most established view is that the male and female symbols "are derived from contractions in Greek script of the Greek names of these planets, namely Thouros (Mars) and Phosphoros (Venus). These derivations have been traced by Renkama^[4] who illustrated how Greek letters can be transformed into the graphic male and female symbols still recognised today." Thouros was abbreviated by θρ, and Phosphoros by Φκ, which were contracted into the modern symbols.

Sex determination[link]

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 with male and female sexes have individuals that are either male or female, hermaphroditic animals have both male and female reproductive organs.

Genetic determination[link]

The sex of most mammals, including humans, is genetically determined by the XY sex-determination system where males have X and Y (as opposed to X and X) sex chromosomes. During reproduction, the male contributes either an X sperm or a Y sperm, while the female always contributes an X egg. A Y sperm and an X egg produce a boy, while an X sperm and an X egg produce a girl. The ZW sex-determination system, where males have ZZ (as opposed to ZW) sex chromosomes, is found in birds and some insects and other organisms. Members of Hymenoptera, such as ants and bees, are determined by haplodiploidy, where most males are haploid and females and some sterile males are diploid.

Environmental determination[link]

The young of some species develop into one sex or the other depending on local environmental conditions, e.g. many crocodilians' sex is influenced by the temperature of their eggs. Other species (such as the goby) can transform, as adults, from one sex to the other in response to local reproductive conditions (such as a shortage of males).

See also[link]

Look up female in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Females

• Dakini
• Femininity
• Feminine side
• Gestation
• Girl
• Lactation
• Male
• Transwoman
• Transman
• Woman
• Womyn

Sources[link]

Ayers, Donald M. English Words from Latin and Greek Elements. Second Edition. 1986. University of Arizona Press. United States.

References[link]

Orianthi
Background information
Birth name	Orianthi Panagaris
Also known as	Orianthi
Born	(1985-01-22) 22 January 1985 (age 27)
Origin	Adelaide, Australia
Genres	Rock, pop rock, glam metal, pop punk[1]
Occupations	Musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, bass, drums, piano, vocals
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Geffen, 19 Entertainment[2]
Associated acts	Michael Jackson, A.R.Rahman, Alice Cooper, Carrie Underwood, Steve Vai
Website	orianthi.com
Notable instruments
PRS Custom 22 (Named Manos) PRS Custom 24 (Named Pepper) Jackson KV2 & KV5 Models (Discontinued Models) Ibanez RG Models (Discontinued Models) SE signature model (SE Orianthi)

Orianthi Panagaris (born 22 January 1985), better known simply as Orianthi, is a Greek Australian musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist. She is perhaps best known for being Michael Jackson's lead guitarist for his ill-fated This Is It concert series, and as the lead guitarist in Alice Cooper's live band. Her debut single "According to You" has peaked at No. 3 in Japan, No. 8 in Australia and No. 17 in the US; her second album, Believe, received a worldwide release in late 2009. In 2009, Orianthi was named one of 12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists by Elle magazine.^[3] She also won the award as "Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" 2010 by Guitar International magazine.^[4]

Life and career[link]

Early life[link]

Orianthi Panagaris was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and is of Greek and Australian descent. Orianthi first started learning piano and playing at the age of three and moving to acoustic guitar at the age of six. She learned to play the acoustic guitar at six at the encouragement of her father, started electric when she was eleven and left her school, Mercedes College, enrolling at Cabra Dominican College. At the age of 15, she turned her focus to writing songs and so began her professional career.^[5] She has been playing in bands since the age of 14 in England and in France, and performed in her first stage show for Steve Vai at the age of 15. Orianthi met and jammed with Carlos Santana when she was 18.^[6] He invited Orianthi to get up and jam with him at soundcheck then later asked if she would join him on stage that night to jam at his Adelaide concert, Memorial Drive on 30 March 2003.^[7]

Orianthi independently released her debut studio album, Violet Journey in 2005, composing all the material, contributing guitar, vocals and drums on most cuts. She produced and mixed the final product at her home studio. Carlos Santana brought Orianthi to Paul Reed Smith's attention which led to her endorsement. Orianthi relocated to Los Angeles, signed with Geffen Records in late 2006 and struck a management deal with 19 Entertainment.^[5][8]

Orianthi has played with Prince, made a commercial for Panasonic HD, featured in the song Now or Never for Bratz: The Movie, played at the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival, appeared in The New York Times business section promoting eco-friendly acoustic guitars,^[5][9] and opened for Steve Vai in the US.

Breakthrough[link]

Orianthi appeared at the 51st annual Grammy Awards as Carrie Underwood's lead guitarist,^{[7][10][11][12]} with Underwood inviting Orianthi to become a member of her band.^[8] Following that performance in addition to recommendations from industry professionals Michael Jackson's management reached out to Orianthi for an audition for This Is It. Orianthi was hence Michael Jackson's lead guitarist and was present on all rehearsals for his This Is It concerts before his death.^[7][8][13] In regard to being handpicked by Jackson, she stated:

I don’t know exactly why he picked me, but he watched my YouTube videos and loved them. He had his choice of guitar players, but I came in and played the ‘Beat It’ solo for him. Afterward he was so happy he got up and grabbed my arm and started walking up and down the stage area with me. He said, ‘Can you play once for me?’ and hired me that night. I wish he was still around. He made me believe in myself more, and I learned so much. Going into it, I thought it would be all about playing guitar solos. But the majority of it was playing chords and funky rhythms.^[14]

She played and sang at Jackson's memorial, globally televised live on 7 July 2009. She appears in the film Michael Jackson's This Is It, which chronicles the rehearsals for the tour and shows her and Michael on stage. She presented an award at the 2009 American Music Awards, which Jackson won posthumously. Orianthi also appears on "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" – with the original co-written and partly performed by Jackson.^[15]

Orianthi started working on her major label debut Believe in 2007 which was released in October 2009. The album produced the worldwide hit "According to You", which was the Single of the Week on iTunes on 27 October 2009, reached number 2 on US radio airplay and charted to number eight in Australia, three in Japan, and achieved platinum status in the US and Australia. The charismatic rock instrumental Highly Strung featuring Steve Vai became a popular YouTube video with millions of views and climbing, and her song Suffocated was featured on Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock as a playable song. Orianthi followed up with a four song EP including two singles Shut Up and Kiss Me and Courage.

Orianthi appeared on several late night shows most notably on American Idol results show 26 March 2010. In 2010 she toured extensively with headlining shows in the US, Japan, Australia and Malaysia. She also opened for other artists including: John Mayer,^[16] Mika, Kid Rock, Daughtry and over 30 dates for Adam Lambert’s Glam Nation Tour with former Idol contestant Allison Iraheta.^[17] Orianthi performed at various music festivals and charity functions most notably at the Stand Up to Cancer telethon.

She is featured on Iraheta's third single "Don't Waste The Pretty".^[18] and on Fefe Dobson's song "Can't Breathe"^[19] which appears on Dobson's album Joy released in November 2010. She has stated that the people she has collaborated with (i.e. Allison Iraheta and Lacey Mosley) are some of her best friends.

Orianthi plans on finishing the recording of her next album in May, 2012.

Collaborations[link]

On 29 August 2011, Orianthi was announced as Alice Cooper's new guitarist. She replaces Damon Johnson, who is now a member of Thin Lizzy.^[20] She is the first female member of the Alice Cooper band. She recorded for the song Saadda Haq composed by Academy award winning composer A.R.Rahman for a Bollywood film soundtrack Rockstar. The song became very popular and lot of media coverage in India came for Orianthi, being cited for her time as Michael Jackson's lead guitarist.^[21][22]

On 12 October 2011, the 5 track EP "Fire", produced by Dave Stewart was released as an iTunes download.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

[edit] EPs

Singles[link]

Featured songs[link]

Studio work[link]

Songs in other media[link]

Music videos[link]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Equipment[link]

Guitars[link]

• PRS Custom 22
• PRS Custom 24
• PRS SE Custom 24
• PRS SE Singlecut
• Jackson KV2& KV5 (Discontinued)
• Jackson DX10 (Discontinued)
• Ibanez RG Series (Discontinued)
• Gibson Les Paul (Early)
• Gibson SG (Early)
• Garrison & Taylor Acoustics
• PRS SE Orianthi (her own signature SE model)

She also has a special private stock PRS Custom 24 guitar, nicknamed "MJ", made for the "This Is It" concerts. This one of a kind guitar is decorated with Swarovski crystals.^[48]

Amplifiers[link]

• EVH 5150III
• Engl (This Is It)
• Mesa Boogie
• Marshall Amplifiers

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Orianthi's channel on YouTube
• Orianthi on Myspace
• Orianthi at the Internet Movie Database
• Orianthi's page at 19 Entertainment
• Orianthi's Twitter page