berdache
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From French bardache, from Italian bardascia, perhaps from Arabic بردج (bardaj, “slave”). Compare bardash.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
berdache (plural berdaches or berdache)
- (anthropology) Among Native Americans, a person who identifies with any of a variety of gender identities which are not exclusively those of their biological sex; a transgender person.
- 2005, Michael J Horswell, Decolonizing the Sodomite, University of Texas 2006, p. 20:
- Male berdache have been documented in nearly 150 North American societies, while female berdache (females who take on the lifeways of males) appear in half as many groups.
- 2005, Michael J Horswell, Decolonizing the Sodomite, University of Texas 2006, p. 20:
[edit] Usage notes
The term has been rejected by many Native American communities as pejorative (because of its etymology) and is now often replaced by two-spirit.
