epicene

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱóm“beside, by, near, with”
2. Ancient Greek · derived fromἐπίκοινος“common to many people, things, etc.; promiscuous, sluttish”
3. Latin · derived fromepicoenon“noun applicable to either males or females; grammatical gender of such nouns”
4. Late Latin · derived fromepicoenos
5. Middle English · inherited fromepicene
6. English todayepicene

From Late Middle English epicene, epicen, epicin, epcyn, episcen, epycen, epycene, epycyn, ypsen (“(grammar) having only one form for masculine and feminine gender, common”), from Late Latin epicoenos, epicoenus (“of a noun: applicable to either males or females”), Latin epicoenon (“noun applicable to either males or females; grammatical gender of such nouns”), from Ancient Greek ἐπίκοινος (epíkoinos, “common to many people, things, etc.; promiscuous, sluttish”) (compare γένος ἐπίκοινον (génos epíkoinon, “common gender”)), from ἐπι- (epi-, prefix meaning ‘on, upon; on top of; all over’) + κοινός (koinós, “common; general, public”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by, near, with”) + *-yós (suffix forming adjectives from noun stems)).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 17th c. An epicene person, whether biologically asexual, androgynous, hermaphrodite, or intersex; an androgyne, a hermaphrodite.