sexual inversion
- noun
- /ˈsɛkʃuəl ɪnˈvɜrʒən/
- Slur
:
inversión sexual (arcaico, ofensivo)
- In the early 20th century, theories of sexual inversion suggested that some women displayed behavior typically associated with men.
Examples
-
Therefore, the researchers knew they were looking at and talking to lesbians, and since they assumed a paradigm of sexual inversion, it is not surprising that they "found" masculinity everywhere in the bodies and experiences of these women.
Academic text (1990) -
In either the masculine or feminine subjects, the researchers could not account for those anomalous women who defied the study's gender-based sexual inversion paradigm.
Academic text (1990) -
KEY WORDS: sex variants, lesbians, homosexuality, sexual inversion, psychiatry, gynecology, George Henry
Academic text (1990) -
The concept of sexual inversion was often used to explain the gender roles in relationships during that era.
-
Historically, sexual inversion referred to individuals who embraced traits or roles associated with the opposite sex.
Synonyms
1
9.3
Dressing and sometimes acting like the opposite sex
1
9.9
An act of dressing and behaving like the opposite sex to show who someone is or for performance
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'sexual' (pertaining to sex/gender) combined with 'inversion' (a reversal) yields a reversal of typical sexual or gender behavior, which a B1 learner who knows both words can infer. While the term is archaic and carries historical connotations (e.g., older uses referring specifically to homosexuality or gender roles), the basic sense is predictable from its parts.
Etymology
Sexual inversion came from 19th-century doctors and writers who used inversion to mean 'turning upside down', so they described people whose sexual feelings or gender role seemed reversed. Today it is considered an outdated and misleading term, because it framed people as if their nature had been 'turned' rather than using more accurate language.