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intersex

intersex

3 7.4
A person born with body parts for sex that are not clearly male or female
  • noun
  • /ˈɪntərsɛks/
translation icon : intersex
  • An intersex person may have physical characteristics that include both male and female anatomy.
  • intersex condition
  • intersex individuals
  • intersex child

It's like there's I don't in a major, you know, film, there's never been an intersex character, right?

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Examples

  • The medical saying do no harm plays a prominent role in care for intersex individuals.

  • There is no dispute that these conditions are indeed intersex conditions.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The chief problem with this list is that the five most common conditions listed are not intersex conditions.

    Academic text (2002)
  • I know some intersex guys who also identify as trans men who never got a period.

    Blog text (15)
  • While there are some intersex conditions, they're rare.

  • Sex refers to a person's biological status and is typically categorized as male, female, or intersex.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Because these conditions are in some sense "in-between" the two sexes, they are collectively referred to as intersex.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Now, most intersex people aren't transgender, and most transgender people aren't intersex.

  • Without these five conditions, intersex becomes a rare occurrence, occurring in fewer than 2 out of every 10,000 live births.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Fausto-Sterling defines all sex chromosome complements other than XX or XY as intersex.

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

hermaphrodite
vsintersex
  • Offensive
11 8.9

A person, animal, or plant with both male and female sex organs

is used for people born with anatomy that does not fit male or female
epicene
vsintersex
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A person born with both male and female body parts

is used for people born with anatomy not matching male or female norms
epicene person
vsintersex
  • Specialized
9.9

A person born with both male and female body parts so it is unclear if they are male or female

is born with anatomy that does not fit typical male or female definitions
androgyne
vsintersex
  • Specialized
9.9

A person born with both male and female sexual parts

is broader and applies to people whose anatomy does not match male or female

Surface Forms

intersex singular
intersexes plural

Morphology

intersex = sex (transparent) = inter + sex

The word is directly analyzable as inter- 'between/among' + sex, so learners knowing both parts can infer the basic meaning.

Etymology

Intersex comes from the part inter- meaning 'between' and sex meaning 'male or female'. So, intersex describes people born with bodies that do not fit the usual categories of 'male' or 'female'.