hermaphrodite

[ hur-maf-ruh-dahyt ]

noun

Biology. an organism, such as an earthworm or plant, having both male and female reproductive organs at the same time or throughout the lifespan.
Older Use: Offensive.
- a person who has both testicular and ovarian tissue.: Compare pseudohermaphrodite.
- any intersex person.

something in which two opposite qualities are combined.

adjective

Biology. of, relating to, or characteristic of an organism having both male and female reproductive organs.: See also gynandrous.
Botany. monoclinous.

combining two opposite qualities.

Origin of hermaphrodite

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English hermofrodite, from Latin hermaphrodītus, from Greek hermaphródītos, originally the proper name of the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, Hermaphródītos, whose body became joined with that of the nymph Salmacis

usage note For hermaphrodite

The term hermaphrodite was once commonly used in medical and informal contexts to refer to people, but this use is now dated and considered offensive except when used in self-reference. Intersex has become the preferred term. It can refer to any person with reproductive organs, genitals, hormones, or chromosomal patterns that do not fall under typical definitions of male and female. The term is also sometimes used to describe something that combines two opposing qualities; this may be offensive when applied to people. See also intersex.

Other words from hermaphrodite

her·maph·ro·dit·ic [hur-maf-ruh-dit-ik], /hɜrˌmæf rəˈdɪt ɪk/, her·maph·ro·dit·i·cal, adjective
her·maph·ro·dit·i·cal·ly, adverb
her·maph·ro·dit·ism [hur-maf-ruh-dahy-tiz-uhm], /hɜrˈmæf rə daɪˌtɪz əm/, her·maph·ro·dism [hur-maf-ruh-diz-uhm], /hɜrˈmæf rəˌdɪz əm/, noun

Words Nearby hermaphrodite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hermaphrodite in a sentence

Tarantobelus jeffdanielsi seems to produce its own eggs and sperm, making it a “self-fertilizing hermaphrodite.”
What do you call a tiny tarantula killer? Jeff Daniels. | Purbita Saha | January 26, 2022 | Popular-Science
The implication is that using forks was—like being a hermaphrodite—a kind of sexual abnormality.
The Strange Way We Eat: Bee Wilson’s ‘Consider the Fork’ | Bee Wilson | October 13, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
So embroiled in fact, that his sex was impossible to determine; he looked like a little hermaphrodite.
How My Little Slice of Heaven Became My Toddler's Hell | Laura Bennett | October 21, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST
hermaphrodite mollusks, with a marvellously complicated sexual apparatus, ought also to be studied separately.
The Natural Philosophy of Love | Remy de Gourmont
The amphioxus, the bridge between invertebrates and vertebrates, is not hermaphrodite.
The Natural Philosophy of Love | Remy de Gourmont

Each worm is bisexual or hermaphrodite, on which account they multiply with great rapidity.
A Treatise on Sheep: | Ambrose Blacklock
And therefore natural philosophers say, that an hermaphrodite is impotent in the privy parts of a man, as appears by experience.
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher | Anonymous
They are in a hermaphrodite condition, out of which they develop into either males or females.
Schenk's Theory: The Determination of Sex | Samuel Leopold Schenk

British Dictionary definitions for hermaphrodite

hermaphrodite

/ (hɜːˈmæfrəˌdaɪt) /

noun

biology an individual animal or flower that has both male and female reproductive organs
a person having both male and female sexual characteristics and genital tissues

a person or thing in which two opposite forces or qualities are combined

adjective

having the characteristics of a hermaphrodite

Origin of hermaphrodite

C15: from Latin hermaphrodītus, from Greek, after Hermaphroditus

Derived forms of hermaphrodite

hermaphroditic or hermaphroditical, adjective
hermaphroditically, adverb
hermaphroditism, noun

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

Scientific definitions for hermaphrodite

hermaphrodite

[ hər-măf′rə-dīt′ ]

An organism, such as an earthworm or flowering plant, having both male and female reproductive organs in a single individual.

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