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hermaphrodite
[ hur-maf-ruh-dahyt ]
/ hɜrˈmæf rəˌdaɪt /
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noun
(no longer in common use; now considered offensive) an individual in which both male and female reproductive organs are present, or in which the chromosomal patterns do not fall under typical definitions of male and female.Compare pseudohermaphrodite.
Biology. an organism, as an earthworm or plant, having both the male and female organs of reproduction.
a person or thing in which two opposite qualities are combined.See also gynandrous.
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of a hermaphrodite.
combining two opposite qualities.
Botany. monoclinous.
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Origin of hermaphrodite
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English hermofrodite, from Latin hermaphrodītus, from Greek hermaphródītos, originally a proper name (Hermaphródītos ) of the son of Hermes and Aphrodite; his 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, though this use is now dated and considered offensive. Intersex has become the preferred term. It can refer to a person born with both male and female reproductive organs or with a chromosomal pattern that does not align with typical male or female patterns, for instance, an individual with a mix of XX and XY chromosomes or with androgen insensitivity syndrome.
OTHER WORDS FROM hermaphrodite
her·maph·ro·dit·ic [hur-maf-ruh-dit-ik], /hɜrˌmæf rəˈdɪt ɪk/, her·maph·ro·dit·i·cal, adjectiveher·maph·ro·dit·i·cal·ly, adverbher·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/, nounWords nearby hermaphrodite
herma, Herman, Hermann, Hermann-Mauguin symbol, Hermannstadt, hermaphrodite, hermaphrodite brig, hermaphrodite rig, Hermaphroditus, hermatype, hermeneutic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hermaphrodite in a sentence
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
Derived forms of hermaphrodite
hermaphroditic or hermaphroditical, adjectivehermaphroditically, adverbhermaphroditism, nounWord Origin for hermaphrodite
C15: from Latin hermaphrodītus, from Greek, after Hermaphroditus
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.