male connector (or plug)
A male connector is a connector attached to a wire, cable, or piece of hardware, having one or more exposed, unshielded electrical terminal s, and constructed in such a way that it can be inserted snugly into a receptacle ( female connector ) to ensure a reliable physical and electrical connection . This type of connector is also known as a plug. A male connector can be recognized by the fact that, when it is disconnected or removed, the unshielded electrical prongs are plainly visible.
The most common male connector is a two- or three-prong plug attached to the end of the cord for an electrical appliance. Other common examples include the plugs for headsets, most connectors on the ends of lengths of coaxial cable , and the edge connectors on some printed circuit cards. D-shell connectors for computer serial and parallel ports can also be male.
A gender changer is a hardware device used to convert a male connector to a female connector, or vice versa.