Used as a colloquialism or pun on "female" to describe women, sometimes pejoratively (e.g., used by Davy Crockett in American folklore).

The meaning of the word has shifted significantly over two centuries:

Some biologists use the term to describe male non-human animals that display female traits, such as male reptiles emitting female pheromones. However, this usage is criticized as unprofessional and degrading.

Applied to "strong-minded" or "masculine" women, intellectuals, or feminists.

It began to appear in erotic literature and underground films, eventually gaining its current sexualized meaning around the early 1980s. Scientific and Other Applications

Most people in the transgender community consider the word dehumanizing and degrading. Outside of pornography, it is widely regarded as a slur that reduces an individual's identity to their genitalia.