shemale

English Online Dictionary. What means shemale‎? What does shemale mean?

English

Alternative forms

• she-male

Etymology

From she +‎ male.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈʃi.meɪl/
• Rhymes: -iːmeɪl

Noun

shemale (plural shemales)

1. (offensive, proscribed, especially in pornography) A male-to-female transsexual or transgender person; a trans woman.
2. (biology, nonstandard, see usage notes) A male animal which displays female traits or behaviors; for example, a male reptile which gives off female pheromones.
   • 2001, R. Shine, B. Phillips, H. Waye, M. LeMaster, R. T. Mason, Benefits of female mimicry in snakes, in Nature (414, 267):

     She-male garter snakes exploit the amorous attentions of other males to warm up.

Usage notes

• The use of shemale to refer to trans women is offensive and proscribed by several authorities. It is found especially (though not exclusively) in pornography, where it and the similarly offensive term tranny are the primary references to trans women.
• The use of shemale in biology has been criticized (e.g. by biologist Joan Roughgarden) as "degrading [...] borrowed from the porn industry" and unprofessional.

Antonyms

• hefemale

Translations

See also

• ladyboy
• newhalf

References

Anagrams

• healmes