drag queen

[drag kween]

noun

Slang.

1. a performer, typically one who was assigned male at birth, whose act involves a stylized and exaggerated interpretation of femininity that plays with stereotypical gender themes.

drag queen

noun

1. a male who dresses as a woman and impersonates female characteristics for public entertainment

2. slang,  a male transvestite

Word History and Origins

Origin of drag queen¹

First recorded in 1960–65; drag (in the sense “wearing clothes characteristic with a different sex”) + queen (in the sense “flamboyantly effeminate gay man”)

Idioms and Phrases

A male transvestite; also, a female impersonator. For example, He was surprised to find out that Roxanne was actually a drag queen. This term uses the slang noun drag in the sense of “female attire worn by a man” (a usage dating from about 1870; also see in drag). [Offensive slang; c. 1940]

Related Words

• bio queen 
• drag artist