her·maph·ro·dite

(hər-măf′rə-dīt′)

1. An animal or plant exhibiting hermaphroditism.

2. Something that is a combination of disparate or contradictory elements.

[Middle English hermofrodite, from Medieval Latin hermofrodītus, from Latin Hermaphrodītus, Hermaphroditus, hermaphrodite; see Hermaphroditus.]

her·maph′ro·dit′ic (-dĭt′ĭk) adj.

her·maph′ro·dit′i·cal·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.	1.	hermaphroditic - of or relating to monoclinous plants monoclinous - having pistils and stamens in the same flower
	2.	hermaphroditic - of animal or plant; having both male female reproductive organs hermaphrodite biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms androgynous - having both male and female characteristics

Translations

hermaphroditic

adj → hermaphroditisch

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in periodicals archive

The simple, but robust hermaphroditic component geometry design, with low part count, can be mated and re-mated reliably with a simple LC-style latch.

3M expanded beam ferrule and connector system 'reduces need for cleaning'

Sexuality can be linked to both invertebrate systematics and to environment; thus some invertebrate taxa appear to be exclusively or predominantly hermaphroditic, e.g.

An ovotestis event in the gonochoric sea urchin Loxechinus albus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)

(6) With the exception of some species of frogs, teleost fish species are the only known vertebrates with sequentially hermaphroditic representatives, (7) a reproductive strategy that has multiple evolutionary origins in fishes, having been reported in 27 taxonomic families spread across nine orders.

Where's the Switch?

The hermaphroditic compass starts life as a male then becomes a female and then produces larvae after being fertilised by a male.

Jellyfish has its last fish supper

The rest are hermaphroditic females that reproduce by self-fertilising, or selfing.

This worm evolved self-fertilisation and lost a quarter of its DNA

It is hermaphroditic. It dies after it gives birth.'

In 'The Anatomy of an Octopus Woman,' Baguio women inmates star in their own stories

Hermaphroditic species have the potential to self-fertilize; however, in broadcast-spawning marine invertebrates, selling is thought to be relatively rare (but see Jarne and Auld.

Chemoattractant-Mediated Preference of Non-Self Eggs in Ciona robusta Sperm

Molex has introduced a hermaphroditic CyClone Panel-to-Panel Connector System designed for secure high-mating cycle connections, the company said.

Molex CyClone Panel-to-Panel Connector System rated for 10,000 mating cycles

They're hermaphroditic, which means they have the reproductive organs of both sexes and both individuals will lay eggs after mating.

Ask the biologist

Strange hermaphroditic creatures wandering about in Pierrot costumes or modern dress; quite a new world of my own creation.' It is a world instantly recognisable, and the influence of Japan would persist in Beardsley's asymmetries and use of line, as well as in his eroticism and eye for the grotesque.

A little indecent: Aubrey Beardsley created an exhilarating body of work in his brief career

It additionally shows how all three writers exploit Ovidian hermaphroditic imagery in order to undermine the intersecting ideals of linguistic integrity, classically inspired amity, and Neoplatonic harmony.

Telescoping Translation: Hero and Leander, Lenten Stuffe, and Bartholomew Fair