Zwitter

German

Etymology

From Middle High German zwitarn (“bastard; hermaphrodite”), from Old High German zwitarn (“bastard”). The first part is the prefix zwie- (“two-, bi-”), but the identity of the second part is unknown.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtsvɪtər/, [ˈt͡sʋɪtɐ]

Noun

Zwitter m (genitive Zwitters, plural Zwitter)

1. hermaphrodite (individual or organism having both male and female gonads)

   Synonym: Hermaphrodit

2. (figuratively, chiefly in compounds) hybrid (something of mixed components)

   Synonym: Hybride

3. (obsolete) a child born of a relation considered illicit or incongruous (born out of wedlock, of different social classes, and/or of different races); a bastard; a mongrel

   Synonyms: Bankert, Bastard, Blendling, Kebskind, Kegel, Mischling

Derived terms

• zwitterhaft

Further reading

• “Zwitter” in Duden online