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neopronoun

[ nee-oh-proh-noun ]
/ ˈni oʊˌproʊ naʊn /
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noun
a type of gender-neutral pronoun, coined after 1800, and used especially by nonbinary and genderqueer people, as in English ze/hir/hirs,e/em/eirs, or xe/xem/xyrs.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Compare they (def. 3c).

Origin of neopronoun

First recorded in 1985–90; neo- + pronoun

historical usage of neopronoun

Although neopronouns are new compared to other pronouns in English, they’ve been around for quite a while. The first neopronouns were coined in the mid-1800s. Some of the neopronouns from that era are still in use today, including e/em/es, ne/nim/nis, and thon/thons. However, the majority of neopronouns coined in the late 1800s and early 1900s, like heesh/himmer/hizzer, were less widely adopted.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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