Definition of "epicene" in English

adjective

1. (linguistics) Of or relating to a class of Greek and Latin nouns that may refer to males or females but have a fixed grammatical gender (feminine, masculine, neuter, etc.).

2. (linguistics) Of or relating to nouns or pronouns in any language that have a single form for male and female referents.

3. (by extension) Suitable for use regardless of sex; unisex.

4. (biology and figuratively) Of indeterminate sex, whether asexual, androgynous, hermaphrodite, or intersex; of a human face, intermediate in form between a man's face and a woman's face.

5. (by extension) Indeterminate; mixed.

6. (by extension, usually derogatory) Of a man: effeminate.

noun

1. (linguistics) An epicene word; preceded by the: the epicene words of a language as a class.

2. (biology and figuratively) An epicene person, whether biologically asexual, androgynous, hermaphrodite, or intersex; an androgyne, a hermaphrodite.

3. (by extension) A transsexual; also, a transvestite.

4. (by extension, usually derogatory) An effeminate man.