hermaphrodite

From Hermaphroditus, the mythical son of Hermes and Aphrodite who merged bodies with a naiad and thereafter possessed both male and female qualities.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /hɝˈmæfɹədaɪt/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

hermaphrodite (plural hermaphrodites)

1. An individual or organism possessing ambiguous sexual organs, typically including both types of gonads. [from late 14th c.]

   An earthworm is a hermaphrodite.

2. A person or thing possessing two opposing qualities.
3. (nautical) A hermaphrodite brig.
4. A farm wagon convertible to multiple purposes.
5. (World War I military, historical) An armoured fighting vehicle having features of both male tanks and female tanks.

• Like many terms that start with a non-silent h but have emphasis on their second syllable, some people precede hermaphrodite with an, others with a.
• Intersex is now the preferred term for human description.
• Compare androgyne and genderqueer.

• maphrodite, morphodite, mophrodite (slang)
• androgyne
• gynandromorph
• intersex (noun)

hermaphrodite (not comparable)

1. (of an individual organism) Having gender-ambiguous sexual organs, typically including both types of gonads.
2. Combining two opposing qualities.

• androgynous
• hermaphroditic
• intersex

• berdache, two-spirit (two-spirits were formerly often called hermaphrodites)
• genderqueer

• ^{(mute h)} IPA^(key): /ɛʁ.ma.fʁɔ.dit/

• Audio

  (file)

hermaphrodite (plural hermaphrodites)

1. hermaphrodite

hermaphrodite m or f by sense (plural hermaphrodites)

1. hermaphrodite

• “hermaphrodite”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.