[trans-ves-tiz-uh
m, tranz-] 
| the practice, esp. of men, of wearing clothing usually associated with the opposite sex for psychological gratification. |
| trans·ves·tite (trāns-věs'tīt', trānz-) n. A person who dresses and acts in a style or manner traditionally associated with the opposite sex. [German Transvestit : Latin trāns-, trans- + Latin vestīre, to dress; see travesty.] trans·ves'tism (-tĭz'əm), trans·ves'ti·tism (-tĭ-tĭz'əm) n. |
transvestism trans·ves·tism (trāns-věs'tĭz'əm, trānz-) or trans·ves·ti·tism (-tĭ-tĭz'əm)
n.
Dressing or masquerading in the clothes of the opposite sex.
transvestism
practice of wearing the clothes of the opposite sex (cross-dressing), generally to derive some kind of sexual pleasure. It is often mistakenly associated with homosexuality; in fact, however, transvestites may be either heterosexual or homosexual, and the practice of cross-dressing is sometimes even ridiculed among homosexuals. The transvestite must also be distinguished from the transsexual, who desires to become a functioning member of the opposite sex; most transvestites are men who comfortably fill male roles in society and are satisfied with their biological sex. Transsexuals, both male and female, are uncomfortable with their sex and are usually required to cross-dress for an extended period before they undergo surgery. That most transvestites are men is at least in part a result of the role of fashion in Western culture; in the mid-to-late 20th century Western women wearing trousers and other clothes once considered to be exclusively men's clothes are not seen as deviant.
Learn more about transvestism with a free trial on Britannica.com.