berdache

English - English

Definition of berdache in English English dictionary

Among Native Americans, a person who identifies with any of a variety of gender identities which are not exclusively those of their biological sex; a transgender person

Male berdache have been documented in nearly 150 North American societies, while female berdache (females who take on the lifeways of males) appear in half as many groups.

{i} man who dressed like a woman, man who acted like a woman (among the North American Indians)

Among North American Indians, a transvestite or transgendered person

Hyphenation

ber·dache

Etymology

() From French bardache, from Italian bardascia, perhaps from Arabic بردج (bardaj, “slave”). Compare bardash.