cis

¹

[sis]

adjective

1. cisgender or cissexual.

   He may not be macho, but he's definitely a cis male.

noun

1. a person who is cisgender or cissexual.

cis-

²

1. a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin meaning “on the near side of; on this side of” (cisalpine ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (cisatlantic ).

2. Chemistry.,  a specialization of this denoting a geometric isomer having a pair of identical atoms or groups attached on the same side of two atoms linked by a double bond.

3. a prefix meaning “on the same side of,” referring to the alignment of one’s gender identity with one’s sex assigned at birth (cisgender; cissexual ).

C.I.S.

³

abbreviation

1. Commonwealth of Independent States.

cis-

¹

prefix

1. on this or the near side of

   cisalpine

2. (often in italics) indicating that two groups of atoms in an unsaturated compound lie on the same side of a double bond Compare trans-

   cis-butadiene

CIS

²

abbreviation

1. Commonwealth of Independent States

Sensitive Note

See trans, gender ¹.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cis¹

By shortening

Origin of cis²

From Latin cis (adverb and preposition) “on this side, on this side of, within”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cis¹

from Latin

Example Sentences

Salazar, is whether these bans violate the First Amendment by restricting counselors’ free speech rights to urge LGBTQ+ kids in their care to simply try harder to be straight, cis, or both.

From Slate

That’s no small feat, given how actively hostile the gaming space can be when anyone but an able-bodied straight white cis man gets to be the hero of a story.

From Slate

They’re allowed to coexist in ways that might seem unusual to cis audiences.

From Slate

In their eyes, Jones said, “she can’t be a cis woman who he finds attractive. There has to be something nefarious or darker that they’re hiding.”

From Salon

I am motherfu*king tired of rising from the ashes, and I am a white, cis woman.”

From Salon

When To Use

What does cis mean?

Cis is short for cissexual or, more commonly, cisgender, which refers to someone's gender identity that corresponds to their sex as assigned at birth. Cisgender is the opposite of transgender.