Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

eonism

/ˈi.əˌnɪzəm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
eon-ism
IPA
/ˈi.əˌnɪzəm/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The pretence of being the opposite sex, especially that by a man of being a woman; transvestism.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Coined in 1920 by the British physician and sexologist Havelock Ellis (1859–1939) after Chevalier d'Eon (1728–1810), a French diplomat, spy and soldier who presented as male for 49 years, then as a female for 33. Ellis had previously used the term sexo-aesthetic inversion.

Usage

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Questions

How do you pronounce eonism?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈi.əˌnɪzəm/.
What does eonism mean?
The pretence of being the opposite sex, especially that by a man of being a woman; transvestism.
Where does eonism come from?
Coined in 1920 by the British physician and sexologist Havelock Ellis (1859–1939) after Chevalier d'Eon (1728–1810), a French diplomat, spy and soldier who presented as male for 49 years, then as a female for 33. Ellis had previously used the term sexo-aesthetic inversion.

How to pronounce eonism

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “eonism”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈi.əˌnɪzəm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “eonism”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “eonism” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.