Word adjective
androgynous
adj.
US /ænˈdɹɔdʒənəs/ UK /ændɹˈɒdʒɪnəs/ an·drog·y·nous
Definition
- 01 C2 Proficiency
describes a plug or port that can connect to another one exactly like it.
referring to a docking port or connector designed to mate with another of the same configuration, rather than having distinct male and female versions.
Simple“The spacecraft used an androgynous docking system to link with the international station.”
In context“The engineering team specified an androgynous coupling mechanism to ensure that any two modules could be joined in an emergency.”
Synonymsgenderlesshermaphroditic
Etymology
From Latin androgynus (“man-woman, hermaphrodite”), from Ancient Greek ἀνδρόγῠνος (andrógŭnos), from ἀνήρ (anḗr, “man”) + γῠνή (gŭnḗ, “woman”) + -ος (-os, “-ous”, adjectival suffix), equivalent to andro- + gyno- + -ous.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This entry
Origin Ancient Greek ἀνδρόγῠνος
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated