hermaphroditic

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /hɜːrˌmæfrəˈdɪtɪk/ UK /hɜːˌmæfrəˈdɪtɪk/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
having both male and female reproductive organs

Many flowering plants are hermaphroditic, bearing both stamens and pistils.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · having both male and female... bisexualintersexandrogynousmonoecious

Opposites

dioeciousunisexual

Word family

Derived forms hermaphroditically

Related forms hermaphrodite hermaphroditism

Etymology

From Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek myth who merged with the nymph Salmacis into one being of both sexes (Greek Hermaphroditos), + -ic.

Ἑρμαφρόδιτος Ancient Greek Ἑρμῆς Ancient Greek Ἀφροδίτη Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# hermaphroditic

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /hɜːrˌmæfrəˈdɪtɪk/
**IPA (UK):** /hɜːˌmæfrəˈdɪtɪk/

## Meanings
1. having both male and female reproductive organs

## Examples
- Many flowering plants are hermaphroditic, bearing both stamens and pistils.

## Synonyms
- bisexual
- intersex
- androgynous
- monoecious

## Antonyms
- dioecious
- unisexual

## Derived Forms
- hermaphroditically

## Related Forms
- hermaphrodite
- hermaphroditism

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: Ἑρμαφρόδιτος
- Root: Ἑρμῆς
- Root: Ἀφροδίτη

## Etymology
From Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek myth who merged with the nymph Salmacis into one being of both sexes (Greek Hermaphroditos), + -ic.

## AI Etymology
hermaphroditic comes from Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite in Greek myth who merged with the nymph Salmacis into one being of both sexes (Greek Hermaphroditos), + -ic. Morphologically, the ending is part of the etymology: the suffix is attached to the older base named in the history, producing a later English derivative. In present English, the adjective sense is "having both male and female reproductive organs", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as hermaphrodite and hermaphroditism, and in derivatives such as hermaphroditically. Its semantic neighborhood includes bisexual, intersex, androgynous, and monoecious, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Ancient Greek Ἑρμαφρόδιτος, Ancient Greek Ἑρμῆς, and Ancient Greek Ἀφροδίτη.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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