hermaphrodite

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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From Hermaphroditus, the mythical son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who merged bodies with a naiad, thereafter having both male and female qualities.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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hermaphrodite (plural hermaphrodites)

  1. (dated, now offensive) A person possessing ambiguous sexual organs or characteristics. [from late 14th c.]
  2. (biology) Cosexual: an organism possessing both types of gonads; a flower possessing both stamens and pistils.
    An earthworm is a hermaphrodite.
  3. (biology) Dichogamous: an organism which begins its life as one sex and changes its sex over its life cycle.
    Comb jellies are sequential hermaphrodites.
  4. A person or thing possessing two opposing qualities.
  5. (nautical) A hermaphrodite brig.
  6. A farm wagon convertible to multiple purposes.
  7. (World War I military, historical) An armoured fighting vehicle having features of both male tanks and female tanks.

Usage notes

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  • Like many terms that start with a non-silent h but have emphasis on their second syllable, some people precede hermaphrodite with an, others with a.
  • Intersex is now the preferred term for humans.[1] The term hermaphrodite when used for intersex people is now considered a slur.[1][2][3]
  • Compare androgyne and genderqueer.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Adjective

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hermaphrodite (not comparable)

  1. (dated, now offensive) Having ambiguous sexual organs or characteristics.
  2. (biology) Having both ovaries and testes or both stamens and pistils.
  3. Combining two opposing qualities.

Synonyms

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Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 InterACT, 2021. What is intersex? https://interactadvocates.org/faq/ Accessed 2024-03-10
  2. ^ The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, 2002. Being an Ally to Intersex People. https://www.idahobit.org.au/allyship/tips-to-be-an-intersex-ally Accessed 2024-03-12.
  3. ^ Gender construction kit, year unknown. Slurs. https://genderkit.org.uk/slurs/ Accessed 2024-03-13

French

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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hermaphrodite (plural hermaphrodites)

  1. hermaphrodite

Noun

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hermaphrodite m or f by sense (plural hermaphrodites)

  1. hermaphrodite

Further reading

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