epicene

A grammatical term referring to Greek nouns which can be either male or female and thus do not change form. Slang term to refer to a homosexual or transgendered individual.

Ep"i*cene (?), a. & n. [L. epicoenus, Gr. &?;; fr. 'epi` + &?; common; cf. F. épicène.]

1.

Common to both sexes; -- a term applied, in grammar, to such nouns as have but one form of gender, either the masculine or feminine, to indicate animals of both sexes; as boy^s, bos, for the ox and cow; sometimes applied to eunuchs and hermaphrodites.

2.

Fig.: Sexless; neither one thing nor the other.

The literary prigs epicene.
Prof. Wilson.

He represented an epicene species, neither churchman nor layman.
J. A. Symonds.

© Webster 1913

Ep"i*cœne (?), a.

Epicene. [R.] Hadley.

© Webster 1913