hijra

[ hij-ruh ]

/ ˈhɪdʒ rə /

noun (in South Asia, especially India)

a person whose gender identity is neither male nor female, typically a person who was born male and dresses as a woman.

a person who is transgender or is transitioning to another gender.

Nearby words

hijab, hijack, hijacker, hijaz, hijiki, hijra, hijrah, hike, hike out, hiker, hikoi

Origin of hijra

< Hindi: eunuch, hermaphrodite

Definition for hijra (2 of 2)

Hijra

[ hij-ruh ]

/ ˈhɪdʒ rə /

noun (sometimes lowercase) Islam.

the flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution a.d. 622: regarded as the beginning of the Muslim Era.

the Muslim Era itself.

Also Hegira, Hij·rah.

Origin of Hijra

From the Arabic word hijrah flight, departure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hijra

The earliest reference to Omar Khayyam dates from the middle of the seventh century of the Hijra.
The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam|Omar Khayyam
They are of a much later date, the last one, indeed, having been compiled more than four hundred years after the Hijra.
The Faith of Islam|Edward Sell
And one step taken in that direction was to assign to the Hindu year the same number with the Hijra year.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4|Various
But towards the close of the second century of the Hijra, this earlier mysticism developed into Sfism.
The Faith of Islam|Edward Sell

In the first half of the second year of the Hijra the breach between them was complete.
The Faith of Islam|Edward Sell

British Dictionary definitions for hijra

hijra

/ (ˈhɪdʒrə) /

noun

(in India) a person who adopts a gender role that is neither male nor female

Word Origin for hijra

Urdu: eunuch

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