bisexuality

[bahy-sek-shoo-uhl] Origin

bi·sex·u·al

[bahy-sek-shoo-uhl]
adjective
1.
Biology.
a.
of both sexes.
b.
combining male and female organs in one individual; hermaphroditic.
2.
sexually responsive to both sexes; ambisexual.
noun
3.
Biology. an animal or plant that has the reproductive organs of both sexes.
4.
a person sexually responsive to both sexes; ambisexual.

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Bisexuality is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

Origin:
1815–25; bi-1 + sexual

bi·sex·u·al·i·ty, bi·sex·u·al·ism, noun
bi·sex·u·al·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To bisexuality
Collins
World English Dictionary
bisexual (baɪˈsɛksjʊəl)
 
adj
1.  sexually attracted by both men and women
2.  showing characteristics of both sexes: a bisexual personality
3.  (of some plants and animals) having both male and female reproductive organs
4.  of or relating to both sexes
 
n
5.  a bisexual organism; a hermaphrodite
6.  a bisexual person
 
bisexuality
 
n
 
bi'sexualism
 
n
 
bi'sexually
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bisexuality
"attraction to both sexes" 1892, in translation of Krafft-Ebing; bisexual (adj.) in this sense is from 1914; earlier meaning (1824) was "hermaphroditic." Not in general use until 1950s. Noun is recorded from 1922. Ambisexual was suggested 1924 in this sense but never caught on.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

bisexuality definition


Sexual activity with, or sexual attraction to, members of both sexes.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

bisexuality

in biology, the condition of an organism capable of producing both male and female gametes (sex cells). In plants and microorganisms, this is often referred to as monoecism. In multicellular animals, bisexuality is usually called hermaphroditism (q.v.).

Learn more about bisexuality with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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