berdache

ber·dache  (br-dsh)

n. Usage Problem

Among certain Native American peoples, a person, usually a male, who assumes the gender identity and is granted the social status of the opposite sex.

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[North American French, from French bardache, catamite, from Italian dialectal bardascia, from Arabic bardaj, slave, from Persian bardah, prisoner, from Middle Persian vartak, from Old Iranian *varta-; see wel- in Indo-European roots.]

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ber·dachism n.

Usage Note: Due to the derogatory implications implicit in the etymology of berdache, contemporary Native Americans have suggested that its scholarly use be discontinued. Among the alternatives in current use, the most widely employed is two-spirit. Other scholars use specific native terms, such as winkte (from Lakota) or nadle (from Navajo), or else use a literal translation, such as "man-woman," of a native word.