Transvestite

Origin

Latin trans- + vestite, form of vestiō ("I clothe, I dress") (as in English vestment, vest). Literally, a "cross-dresser".

Full definition of transvestite

Noun

1. A person who sometimes wears clothes traditionally worn by and associated with the opposite sex; typically a male who cross-dresses occasionally by habit or compulsion.

Usage notes

This term is relatively formal (Latinate); cross-dresser is more casual, but whereas the verb cross-dress is common, the verb transvest is quite rare.

Transvestite should not be confused with transgender or transsexual ("person who lives as a member of a sex different from their birth sex"). Transvestites generally have less or no desire to change their sex; they simply enjoy being able to cross-dress from time to time.

The term should also not be confused with drag queen ("male who wears women’s clothing for public performance"); that term is specifically for performers.

Synonyms

• cross-dresser
• pejorative tranny
• TV
• see also

Derived terms

• transvestic
• transvestic fetishism
• transvestism
• transvestitism

Related terms

• transgender
• transsexual