third gender

American  

[thurd jen-der] / ˈθɜrd ˈdʒɛn dər /

noun

1. Anthropology. any of various gender classifications in societies that recognize a gender other than male or female.

2. a person who identifies as a gender other than male or female or as neither male nor female.

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adjective

1. being or relating to a person who belongs to a gender classification or identifies as a gender other than male or female.

Etymology

Origin of third gender

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Rongen also had to heal with the trauma surrounding defender Jaiyah Saelua, a fa’afafine, or third gender, in Polynesian society.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2023

In 2014, the Supreme Court had ruled that trans people be recognised as the third gender.

From BBC • Jul. 27, 2023

In India, a third gender known as hijras have been documented as far back as the Middle Ages and are recognized as an official third gender in Indian countries throughout the subcontinent.

From Salon • May 22, 2023

“We’ve been around for millennia,” she told The Spinoff, citing long-established concepts of gender fluidity in Pacific nations, including fa’afafine, a Samoan word for people of a third gender.

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2023

Malta and Nepal join the list of countries offering their citizens the choice of an official third gender.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater