transvestite
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Latin trans- + vestite, form of vestiō (“I clothe, I dress”) (as in English vestment, vest).
Literally cross-dresser (cross + dress + -er = trans- + vest + -ite).
[edit] Noun
transvestite (plural transvestites)
- A person who sometimes wears clothes traditionally worn by and associated with the opposite sex; typically a male who cross-dresses occasionally by habit or compulsion.
[edit] Usage notes
Relatively formal (Latinate); cross-dresser is more casual. Unlike cross-dress, the corresponding verb transvest is quite rare.
Transvestite should not be confused with transgender or transsexual (“someone who lives as the sex opposite that of his or her birth”). Transvestites generally have lesser or no desire to permanently change their sex, but simply enjoy being able to cross-dress from time to time.
The term should also not be confused with drag queen (“A male who wears women’s clothing for public performance”), which is specifically for performers.
[edit] Synonyms
- cross-dresser
- (pejorative) tranny
- (slang, pejorative) Trap
- TV
- See also Wikisaurus:transvestite
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
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