transvestism

American  

[trans-ves-tiz-uhm, tranz-] / trænsˈvɛs tɪz əm, trænz- /

Also transvestitism

noun

1. Psychiatry. the practice, especially of those assigned male at birth, of wearing clothing usually associated with a different gender.

2. Older Use: Often Offensive. the practice of crossdressing.

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Other Word Forms

• transvestic adjective

Etymology

Origin of transvestism

First recorded in 1925–30; from German Transvestismus, from Latin trāns- trans- + vest(īre) “to clothe, dress” ( vest ( def. ) ) + German -ismus -ism

Example Sentences

You talk in the book about how we've evolved in how we look about gender identity, yet "transvestism" is still in the DSM.

From Salon

Others hit back, with Nick Cohen suggesting the Telegraph review misrepresented a novel in which “transvestism barely features”.

From The Guardian

Now, well into his 40s and sporting a dark beard, Larney still could not shake the nickname that recalled his early dabbling in transvestism: Mollie Matches.

From New York Times

The law says "disability" shall not include "transvestism, transsexualism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, voyeurism, gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments, or other sexual behavior disorders."

From Reuters

But in order to get the bill through, the gay rights groups they were working with dropped the elements that dealt with transvestism and drag, explaining they were too extreme to be passed.

From The Guardian