hermaphrodite

American  

[hur-maf-ruh-dahyt] / hɜrˈmæf rəˌdaɪt /

noun

1. Biology. an organism, such as an earthworm or plant, having both male and female reproductive organs at the same time or throughout the lifespan.

2. Older Use: Offensive.

   1. a person who has both testicular and ovarian tissue.

   2. any intersex person.

3. something in which two opposite qualities are combined.

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adjective

1. Biology. of, relating to, or characteristic of an organism having both male and female reproductive organs.

2. Botany. monoclinous.

3. combining two opposite qualities.

hermaphrodite British  

/ hɜːˈmæfrəˌdaɪt /

noun

1. biology an individual animal or flower that has both male and female reproductive organs

2. a person having both male and female sexual characteristics and genital tissues

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

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adjective

1. having the characteristics of a hermaphrodite

hermaphrodite Scientific  

/ hər-măf′rə-dīt′ /

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

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Sensitive Note

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 ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

• hermaphrodism
  noun
• hermaphroditic
  adjective
• hermaphroditical
  adjective
• hermaphroditically
  adverb
• hermaphroditism
  noun

Etymology

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

Explanation

A hermaphrodite is a person (or plant or animal) that has both male and female sexual organs. Hermaphrodites are rare. This is an unusual word for an unusual condition: being a boy and a girl at the same time. This happens to a small number of people who have the reproductive organs of both men and women. In appearance, a hermaphrodite might look more girlish or boyish, but they're kind of both. This word also applies to animals and plants, which can have both male and female equipment, too.

Example Sentences

This is because papayas can produce either male flowers, female flowers or hermaphrodite flowers that have characteristics of both.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2024

The term "hermaphrodite" is a term in the animal kingdom that you learn about when you're in biology class.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2023

This dialogue verges on the mawkish: “What does hermaphrodite mean?”

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2023

Surprising in a novel first published in 1920, several characters in “A Voyage to Arcturus” are androgynous or hermaphrodite.

From Washington Post • Nov. 16, 2021

She preferred to identify herself as a hermaphrodite.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides