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onnagata

[ on-uh-gah-tuh; Japanese awn-nah-gah-tah ]
/ ˌɒn əˈgɑ tə; Japanese ˈɔn nɑˈgɑ tɑ /

noun

a male actor in kabuki who performs female roles.

Nearby words

  1. onlooking,
  2. only,
  3. only game in town, the,
  4. only too,
  5. only-begotten,
  6. onnes, heike kamerlingh,
  7. onomasiology,
  8. onomastic,
  9. onomasticon,
  10. onomastics

Origin of onnagata

Borrowed into English from Japanese around 1900–05
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Word Origin and History for onnagata

onnagata

n.

in Kabuki and similar drama, a man who plays female roles, 1901, from Japanese, from onna "woman" + kata "figure."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper