cis

¹ American  

[sis] / sɪs /

adjective

1. cisgender or cissexual.

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

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noun

1. a person who is cisgender or cissexual.

cis- ² American  

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 ).

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C.I.S. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Commonwealth of Independent States.

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cis- ¹ British  

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

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CIS ² British  

abbreviation

1. Commonwealth of Independent States

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Sensitive Note

See trans, gender ¹.

Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of cis¹

By shortening

Origin of cis-²

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

Example Sentences

I am entirely aware that my ability to be fully myself on a dating app is a luxury afforded to me by my status as a cis, straight, thin, white woman in New York City.

From Slate

WSJ: Which CIS countries most interest you?

From The Wall Street Journal

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

"This has even resulted in cis women being challenged for going into a female toilet because they have a short haircut," the statement added.

From BBC