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 assigned male at birth but whose gender expression is female.
a person who is transgender.

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hijra

First recorded in 1835–40; from Hindi: “eunuch, hermaphrodite”

Words nearby hijra

hijab, hijack, hijacker, Hijaz, hijiki, hijra, Hijrah, hike, hike out, hikoi, hilar

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, Hijrah.

Origin of Hijra

From the Arabic word hijrah flight, departure
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for hijra

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