English Edit

Etymology Edit

From the Latin preposition cis (on this side of). The earliest known sexuality-related use of the prefix in any language was in a 1914 German-language book on sexology.[1] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest use of the prefix in the context of gender in English dates from 1994.[2]

Pronunciation Edit

Prefix Edit

cis-

  1. (geography) On this side of.
    Antonym: trans-
    cis- + ‎alpine → ‎cisalpine (on this [the Roman] side of the Alps)
    cis- + ‎Rhenane → ‎cisrhenane (on this [the speaker's] side of Rhine)
    cis- + ‎Caucasia → ‎Ciscaucasia
    cis- + ‎Jordan → ‎Cisjordan
    cis- + ‎Neptunian → ‎cis-Neptunian
  2. (chemistry) Forming names of chemical compounds in which two atoms or groups are situated on the same side of some plane of symmetry passing through the compound.
    cis- + ‎diazene → ‎cis-diazene
  3. (gender) Being, or pertaining to being, cis (cisgender or cissexual).
    cis- + ‎gender → ‎cisgender
    cis- + ‎sexism → ‎cissexism
    cis- + ‎normativity → ‎cisnormativity

Usage notes Edit

  • In the first sense, “on this side of”, this prefix is usually attached directly to the word it modifies, or sometimes separated from it by a hyphen: cisrhenane, cis-Neptunian.
  • In the gender-related sense, this prefix is attached directly to certain words, most notably cisgender and cissexual (which are almost always spelled thus, not as e.g. *cis sexual). In other cases, the related standalone adjective cis is used: hence one speaks of a cis perspective (not *cisperspective), etc. Compare trans- and trans.

Antonyms Edit

Derived terms Edit

Translations Edit

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Ernst Burchard (1914) Lexikon des gesamten Sexuallebens (in German)
    1914, Ernst Burchard, Lexikon Des Gesamten Sexuallebens[1], Berlin, BV047570799, page 32:
    Cisvestitismus, die Neigung, die Kleidung einer anderen Altersstufe, Volks- oder Berufsklasse des gleichen Geschlechts zum Zwecke sexueller Ent­spannung anzulegen, dem Transvestitismus verwandt (s. Verkleidungstrieb).
    Cisvestism, the tendency to don the clothes of a different age group, ethnic group, or profession of the same sex for the purpose of sexual relaxation, related to transvestism (see disguise instinct).
  2. ^ “New words notes December 2015 – Oxford English Dictionary”, in (please provide the title of the work)[2], accessed 7 November 2017, archived from the original on 2017-11-29

Further reading Edit

Anagrams Edit

Italian Edit

Prefix Edit

cis-

  1. cis- (all senses)

Derived terms Edit

Anagrams Edit