intersexuality
|in-ter-sex-u-al-i-ty|
🇺🇸
/ˌɪntərsɛkʃuˈælɪti/
🇬🇧
/ˌɪntəsɛkʃuˈælɪti/
between sexes; atypical sex characteristics
Etymology
'intersexuality' originates from English, built from the adjective 'intersexual' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ity'. The prefix 'inter-' comes from Latin meaning 'between', and 'sex' ultimately derives from Latin 'sexus' meaning 'the state of being male or female'.
'intersexuality' developed from the adjective 'intersexual' (coined in the 19th–20th century in medical contexts), where 'inter-' + 'sexual' combined; the noun form 'intersexuality' emerged in 20th-century medical and social discourse to name the condition or concept.
Initially used primarily in medical texts to denote ambiguous sexual characteristics or 'hermaphroditism', the term has broadened to describe a range of biological sex variations and is also used in social and identity contexts with more precise and less stigmatizing meanings.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or condition of having physical sex characteristics (chromosomes, gonads, hormones, or anatomy) that do not fit typical definitions of male or female.
Intersexuality may be identified at birth or become apparent at puberty.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
historically used to refer to hermaphroditism or ambiguous sexual characteristics; an older/archaic medical usage.
Older medical literature sometimes described cases of intersexuality as 'hermaphroditism.'
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/13 15:10