hijra

¹ American  

[hij-ruh] / ˈhɪdʒ rə /

noun

1. 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.

2. a person who is transgender.

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Hijra ² American  

[hij-ruh] / ˈhɪdʒ rə /

Also Hijrah.

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

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

2. the Muslim Era itself.

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hijra British  

/ ˈhɪdʒrə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of hijra¹

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

Origin of Hijra²

From the Arabic word hijrah flight, departure

Example Sentences

This hijra, meaning “emigration,” was a watershed moment for Muhammad’s early community.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Aruvi, a transgender person in Hyderabad, started a “transkitchen” with the help of three friends from the queer community, who cooked food and delivered it to the hijra community and other marginalized groups.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 8, 2022

The hijra leaders, fresh from their historic court recognition, began thinking about starting their own group to participate in the Kumbh Mela last year, according to Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, one of India’s best-known transgender activists.

From Washington Post • Apr. 22, 2016

She says her hope is that people will stop reacting negatively to the word hijra and start treating them as the "third sex".

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2014

Life in India is hard enough for a hijra, but the ones who suffer the most are like Ms. Karande, who doesn’t belong to a hijra community, said Ms. Mhaprolkar.

From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2013