Definitions For Berdache

Noun

BERDACHE (plural s or berdache) (anthropology, dated, now, _, offensive) Among native americans, a person who identifies with any of a variety of gender identity, gender identities which are not exclusively those of their biological sex; a transgender person. from 19th c.

Usage notes

Considered offensive by many Native American communities because of its pejorative and non-American etymology, berdache began to fall out of use in the 1990s; two-spirit and various tribe-specific terms (wergern, etc) are now used instead.

Derived terms

berdachism

Translations

{{trans-top-also, Native American who identifies with a gender identity not exclusively corresponding to their biological sex, two-spirit}} Lakota: wíŋkte Portuguese: berdache, m, f Russian: берда́ш, m, берда́че, m, f

Etymology

From {{bor, en, fr, bardache}}, from {{der, en, it, bardassa}}, perhaps from {{der, en, ar, بَرْدَج, , slave}}. {{doublet, en, bardash}}.

See also

transgender two-spirit hermaphrodite

Anagrams

breached