hermaphrodite

hermaphrodite
\ \ [15] Biologically a combination of male and female, hermaphrodite is etymologically a blend of the names of Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods, and Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.
\ \ According to Ovid Hermaphródītos, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, was beloved of the nymph Salmacis with an ardour so strong that she prayed for complete union with him – with the result that their two bodies became fused into one, with dual sexual characteristics. English acquired the term via Latin hermaphrodītus.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • HERMAPHRODITE — L’enjeu philosophique du symbolisme de l’hermaphrodite est tout entier présent dans un aphorisme de l’alchimiste Heinrich C. Khunrath: «De l’Un grossier et impur naît un Un extrêmement pur et subtil.» L’hermaphrodite symbolise le processus de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • hermaphrodite — HERMAPHRODITE. s. m. Celuy qui a les deux sexes. Un Hermaphrodite. on dit que les hermaphrodites sont communs en certains pays. Il est aussi adj. des deux genres. Une femme hermaphrodite. il est hermaphrodite …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Hermaphrodite — Her*maph ro*dite, a. Including, or being of, both sexes; as, an hermaphrodite animal or flower. [1913 Webster] {Hermaphrodite brig}. (Naut.) See under {Brig}. Totten …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hermaphrodite — Her*maph ro*dite, n. [L. hermaphroditus, Gr. ?, so called from the mythical story that Hermaphroditus, son of Hermes and Aphrodite, when bathing, became joined in one body with Salmacis, the nymph of a fountain in Caria: cf. F. hermaphrodite.]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hermaphrodite — [hər maf′rə dīt΄] n. [altered (modeled on L or Gr) < ME hermofrodite < L hermaphroditus < Gr hermaphroditos, < Hermaphroditos, HERMAPHRODITUS] 1. a person or animal with the sexual organs of both the male and the female 2. a plant… …   English World dictionary

  • hermaphrodite — hermaphrodite. См. гермафродит. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • hermaphrodite — HERMAPHRODITE: Excite la curiosité malsaine. Chercher à en voir …   Dictionnaire des idées reçues

  • hermaphrodite — late 14c. (harmofroditus), from L. hermaphroditus, from Gk. Hermaphroditos (L. Hermaphroditus), son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who, in Ovid, was loved by the nymph Salmacis so ardently that she prayed for complete union with him and as a result… …   Etymology dictionary

  • hermaphrodite — ► NOUN 1) a person or animal having both male and female sex organs or other sexual characteristics. 2) Botany a plant having stamens and pistils in the same flower. DERIVATIVES hermaphroditic adjective hermaphroditism noun. ORIGIN Greek… …   English terms dictionary

  • Hermaphrodite — For other uses, see Hermaphrodite (disambiguation). Mating Helix aspersa (garden snails). In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.[1] Many taxonomic groups of an …   Wikipedia

  • Hermaphrodite — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Hermaphrodite (homonymie). Hermaphrodite endormi, copie romaine d un original grec, époque impériale (II …   Wikipédia en Français

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