transvestite

Etymology
From +, form of  (as in English , ). Literally, a "cross-dresser". From, from , coined in 1910 by (the practice itself is much older).

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 personal choice.
 * 2)  A person, typically a heterosexual male, who  seeks and derives    from, especially if the urges and behavior cause the patient distress or social impairment.
 * 3)  An animal that engages in sexual mimicry.
 * 1)  An animal that engages in sexual mimicry.

Usage notes

 * This term is relatively formal (Latinate); is more casual, but whereas the verb  is common, the verb  is quite rare.
 * Transvestite should not be confused with (see that term for more); transvestites are often happy with their gender and have no desire to change their sex, but simply enjoy being able to cross-dress from time to time. When speaking of to or about an individual who identifies as transgender, the term transvestite is typically seen as derogatory.
 * The term should also not be confused with or ; those terms are specifically for performers.
 * The clinical definition is far more restrictive than the colloquial usage of the term, drawing a sharp distinction between a transvestite versus those who engage in other types of cross-dressing not associated with sexual arousal—such as a who cross-dresses to perform a role for entertainment purposes.

Synonyms

 * tranny
 * see also Thesaurus:transvestite
 * see also Thesaurus:transvestite
 * see also Thesaurus:transvestite

Translations

 * Arabic:
 * Bulgarian: травестит
 * Catalan:, ,
 * Chinese:
 * Cantonese: 契弟
 * Mandarin: 異裝癖者
 * Czech: transvestita
 * Danish: transvestit
 * Dutch:
 * Esperanto: transvestulo, transvestulino
 * Finnish:, tiitti
 * French: ,
 * Galician:
 * German:, , , Transi
 * Greek:
 * Hungarian:
 * Indonesian:
 * Irish: trasfheisteoir
 * Italian:
 * Japanese: 異性装者
 * Navajo: háádadiitʼįįhígíí, łaʼinidílnééh
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål: transvestitt
 * Nynorsk: transvestitt
 * Polish: transwestyta, transwestytka
 * Portuguese:
 * Russian:
 * Serbo-Croatian: трансвестит, transvestit
 * Spanish: ,
 * Swedish:
 * Turkish: