hijra

== English == === Pronunciation === (US) IPA(key): /ˈhiːd͡ʒɹə/, /ˈhɪd͡ʒɹə/ (India) IPA(key): /ɦɪd͡ʒ.ɽɑː/, [ɦɪd͡ʒ.ɽäː], /ɦiːd͡ʒ.ɽɑː/, [ɦiːd͡ʒ.ɽäː] === Etymology 1 === From Hindi हीजड़ा (hījṛā). ==== Alternative forms ==== hejra, hijada, hijara, hijrah ==== Noun ==== hijra (plural hijras) A eunuch in South Asia, especially one who dresses as a woman. [from 19th c.] A (typically biologically male or intersex, but sometimes biologically female) member of a somewhat feminine third gender found in India and Pakistan. 1995, Gayatri Reddy, With Respect to Sex: Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India (Worlds of Desire: The Chicago Series on Sexuality, Gender, & Culture), →ISBN [1]: The subjects of this study are hijras or the "third sex" of India, individuals who occupy a unique, liminal space between male and female, sacred and profane. ===== Usage notes ===== This term is sometimes considered offensive in Pakistan, where the preferred native alternative is khwaja sira, from Urdu خواجہ سرا (xāja sarā). ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== zenana ==== References ==== === Etymology 2 === From Arabic هِجْرَة (hijra, “departure, exodus”). Doublet of hegira. ==== Alternative forms ==== hijrah ==== Noun ==== hijra (plural hijras) Alternative letter-case form of Hijra. Any similar flight or emigration to a better place. (Islam) Emigration from a non-Muslim country to a Muslim one. ===== Usage notes ===== Usually capitalized in reference to the specific event or the Islamic calendar based upon it. ===== Translations =====