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bisexual

bi·se·xual

UK/baɪˈsɛk.ʃʊ.əl/ US/baɪˈsɛk.ʃ(ʊ)l/ uncommon rare
adjective (2) noun (1)

adjective

1.

sexually attracted to both sexes

Antonyms
2.

having an ambiguous sexual identity

Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

a person who is sexually attracted to both sexes

Synonyms

Origin

From bi- + -sexual, via the French bisexuel (bi-, sexuel). Attested since 1792 as a synonym in botany for "hermaphroditic" ("having male and female parts"). First used of sexuality in Richard von Krafft-Ebing's 1886 Psychopathia Sexualis (in German) and Charles Gilbert Chaddock's 1892 English translation thereof, due to the theory that people were naturally attracted to the opposite sex and so the brain or mind of a person attracted to "both" sexes (or to the same sex) must be partly of another sex and thus "hermaphroditic".

Phrases

  • be bisexual
  • bisexual lighting
  • bisexual marriage
  • bisexual person
  • I'm bisexual

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.