Sex refers to a category into which sexually-reproducing organisms are divided on the basis of their reproductive roles in their species. It commonly describes another category, especially of humans and especially based on sexuality or gender roles, the members of such a category, taken collectively, and the distinction and relation between these categories, especially in humans; gender, which gives the term a broader and more practical sense than a single short definition would suggest. Depending on context, it can also point to sexual activity, usually sexual intercourse unless preceded by a modifier, genitalia: a penis or vagina, and an offshoot of a larger religion; a group sharing particular (often unorthodox) political and/or religious beliefs, so the category can cover literal uses, related ideas, and more figurative extensions of the same core meaning. Taken together, these meanings present Sex as a flexible theme rather than a narrowly technical label, covering the central idea people usually mean when they use the word while still leaving room for closely related senses that appear in real language. Additional shades of meaning include a group following a specific ideal or a leader, a cutting; a scion, to determine the sex of an animal, and to have sex with, which reinforce how the category can stretch across adjacent but still recognizable uses of the same term.
