Dictionary.com

cis

[ sis ]
/ sɪs /
Save This Word!

adjective
cisgender or cissexual: He may not be macho, but he's definitely a cis male.
noun
a person who is cisgender or cissexual.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of cis

By shortening

usage note for cis

See trans, gender1.

Other definitions for cis (2 of 3)

cis-

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).
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.Compare trans- (def. 2).
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).

Origin of cis-

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

Other definitions for cis (3 of 3)

C.I.S.

abbreviation
Commonwealth of Independent States.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cis in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cis (1 of 2)

CIS

abbreviation for
Commonwealth of Independent States

British Dictionary definitions for cis (2 of 2)

cis-

prefix
on this or the near side ofcisalpine
(often in italics) indicating that two groups of atoms in an unsaturated compound lie on the same side of a double bondcis- butadiene Compare trans- (def. 5)

Word Origin for cis-

from Latin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK