The Ferengi were a warp-capable humanoid species from the planet Ferenginar in Star Trek. Ferengi civilization was built on free enterprise, where earning profit was the sole meaningful goal in life, superseding all other endeavors.
The Ferengis' most distinguishing feature were their large ears (called "lobes"), which gave them extremely acute hearing, sensitive enough to tell a person's species and gender. Ferengi lobes were also said to tingle whenever the Ferengi sensed an opportunity for profit or was sexually aroused.
Their Rules of Acquisition provided advice that all good Ferengi followed, in order to lead a profitable life. For example, the first Rule of Acquisition was "Once you have their money, you never give it back". In addition to the Rules, the Ferengi also recognized the Five Stages of Acquisition: infatuation, justification, appropriation, obsession, and resale.
Ferengi society and culture was highly misogynistic and patriarchal. As such, laws and cultural norms reflected and deeply institutionalized such misogyny and discrimination. Ferengi women were referred to as "females." They were barred from most aspects of society, such as not being allowed to earn profit or to travel. They were not even allowed to wear clothes and were expected to be undressed at all times.
The Ferengi Alliance was the main political body of the Ferengi. It was dedicated to the promotion of profit and commerce and was overseen by a Grand Nagus, who acted as both head of state and principal business leader. It took around 10,000 years to build the Ferengi Alliance. Gint became the first Grand Nagus and was the original author of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. While this cemented their greedy and materialistic society, atrocities such as slavery and interstellar wars were notably absent from Ferengi history.