cis

C3I1S1
/sɪs/

adjective

Having two mutations on two genes on the same chromosome of a homologous pair.

“The cis effect is the labilization of ligands which are cis to certain other ligands.”

Opposite
CommonScrabble 5

Meanings

cis1

adjectivecis (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyHaving two mutations on two genes on the same chromosome of a homologous pair.
  2. not comparablebiologyOf the side of the Golgi apparatus nearer to the endoplasmic reticulum.
  3. not comparablephysicalchemistryIn (or constituting, forming, or describing) a double bond in which the greater radical on both ends is on the same side of the bond.

    However, a cis double bond causes a kink in the chain. (A cis double bond introduces a bend of about 42 into the linear hydrocarbon chain.)

    2007, Vickie A. Vaclavik, Elizabeth W. Christian, Essentials of Food Science, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 277
    2 more examples

    9 is thought to survive longer when the CH = CH bond is cis and to favour the formation of another cis double bond in a propagation reaction involving its displacement by monomer. 10, on the other hand, is more likely to yield a trans double bond […]

    1984, American Chemical Society. Division of Polymer Chemistry, Papers Presented at the ... Meeting

    A cis double bond is one where the hydrogen atoms are both on the same side. In contrast, a trans double bond has them on the opposite side.

    2015, William P Edwards, The Science of Bakery Products, Royal Society of Chemistry, →ISBN, page 26
  4. not comparablephysicalchemistryIn (or constituting, forming, or describing) a coordination compound in which the two instances of a particular ligand are adjacent to each other.

    The cis effect is the labilization of ligands which are cis to certain other ligands.

cis2

adjectivecis (not comparable)

alternative proscribed CIS

  1. not comparableCisgender (or sometimes cissexual): not trans (transgender or transsexual) nor non-binary.

    We're demonized and criminalized as perverts out to trick and deceive cis hetero men; therefore anything that happens to us, we 'had coming.'

    2017 November 21, Trish Bendix, quoting Ashlee Marie Preston, “Why it matters that transgender women are speaking out about Jeffrey Tambor — and that people are listening”, in Yahoo! Lifestyle
    2 more examples

    Oh yeah, because you know who's been long overdue a challenge? The trans community. Oh, they've had their guard down for too long if you ask me. They'll all be checking their privilege on the way home now thanks to you, you brave little cis boy!

    2019 January 17, James Acaster: Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999, spoken by James Acaster

    The reality is that LGBTQ+ people face challenges at disproportionally higher rates than their straight counterparts — drug use, sex work, and financial instability can be an unfortunate result. My privilege as a young cis white man whose parents weren't going to let me drown afforded me the ability to make those mistakes and live to talk about it.

    2019 September 24, Jonathan Van Ness, Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love, HarperCollins, →ISBN, pages 117–118

CIS3

nounCIS (plural CISes)

plural CISes

  1. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of contact image sensor.

    Because of its tabloid-size scanbed, the Plug-n-Scan has a large footprint that makes it very stable. On the other hand, being a CIS scanner, it's light and has a very low profile and is designed so that the scanner can be stood upright on its end and still function.

    1998, PC Mag, volume 17, number 18, page 179
  2. abbreviationinitialismcomputingInitialism of clinical information system.
  3. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of clinically isolated syndrome.
  4. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of customer information screen.
proper noun
  1. CommonwealthabbreviationinitialismInitialism of Commonwealth of Independent States.
  2. UKabbreviationinitialismbusinessInitialism of Construction Industry Scheme.
  3. CanadaabbreviationhistoricalinitialismhobbiesInitialism of Canadian Interuniversity Sport.
  4. PhilippinesabbreviationinitialismhobbiesInitialism of Clark International Speedway.
  5. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of Center for Immigration Studies.

    Bensman joins Jon Feere, another CIS alumnus who rejoined the Trump administration as ICE’s chief of staff. CIS Executive Director Mark Krikorian reposted DHS’ “Which Way, American Man” ad on X.

    2025 August 28, Caleb Kieffer, R.G. Cravens, “Homeland Security deploys white nationalist, anti-immigrant graphics to recruit”, in Southern Poverty Law Center

CIS4

adjectiveCIS (not comparable)
  1. not comparableproscribedAlternative letter-case form of cis (“cisgender”).

CIs5

noun
  1. pluralplural of CI

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite

nounan alliance made up of states that had been Soviet Socialist Republics in the Soviet Union prior to its dissolution in Dec 1991

Broader
world organizationworld organisationinternational organization

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

cis · adjective

  1. Latincis“on this side (of), on the near or same side”
  2. Englishcis

From Latin cis (“on this side (of), on the near or same side”). Doublet of he, it, here, hither, and hence.

Full word history & related roots →

cis · adjective

Clipping of cisgender or cissexual, ultimately from Latin cis.

Full word history & related roots →

CIS · noun, proper noun

Initialisms.

Full word history & related roots →

CIS · adjective

Likely originates from the false etymology asserting that cis is an initialism standing for comfortable in skin.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans GOS
  • GOSCommonwealth of Independent States
Basque EIE
  • EIECommonwealth of Independent States
Bulgarian цис-, ОНД
  • цис- (cis-)chemistry
  • ОНД (OND)Commonwealth of Independent States
Catalan CEI
  • CEICommonwealth of Independent States
Chinese Cantonese 順式 /顺式
  • 順式 /顺式 (seon⁶ sik¹)chemistry
Chinese Mandarin 順式 /顺式
  • 順式 /顺式 (shùnshì)chemistry
Czech SNS
  • SNSCommonwealth of Independent States
Danish SNG
  • SNGCommonwealth of Independent States
Dutch GOS
  • GOSCommonwealth of Independent States
Esperanto cisgenra
  • cisgenracisgender
Estonian SRÜ
  • SRÜCommonwealth of Independent States
Finnish IVY
  • IVYCommonwealth of Independent States
French cis, cis
  • cischemistry
  • ciscisgender
  • CEICommonwealth of Independent States
German cis, GUS
  • ciscisgender
  • GUSCommonwealth of Independent States
Greek ΚΑΚ
  • ΚΑΚ (KAK)Commonwealth of Independent States
Hungarian FÁK
  • FÁKCommonwealth of Independent States
Italian cis
  • ciscisgender
Japanese シス, CIS (CIS)
  • シスchemistry
  • CIS (CIS)Commonwealth of Independent States
  • 独立国家共同体 (dokuritsu-kokka-kyōdōtai)Commonwealth of Independent States
Latvian NVS
  • NVSCommonwealth of Independent States
Norwegian Bokmål SUS
  • SUSCommonwealth of Independent States
Polish cis, cis
  • cisbiology
  • cischemistry
  • ciscisgender
  • WNPCommonwealth of Independent States
Portuguese CEI
  • CEICommonwealth of Independent States
Romanian CSI
  • CSICommonwealth of Independent States
Russian цис-, СНГ
  • цис- (cis-)chemistry
  • СНГ (SNG)Commonwealth of Independent States
Slovak SNŠ
  • SNŠCommonwealth of Independent States
Spanish cis, CEI
  • ciscisgender
  • CEICommonwealth of Independent States
Swedish cis, OSS
  • ciscisgender
  • OSSCommonwealth of Independent States
Turkish BDT
  • BDTCommonwealth of Independent States
Ukrainian СНД
  • СНД (SND)Commonwealth of Independent States

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with cis

All rhymes →

Sounds the same

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

cis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cis

MLA

“cis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cis. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cis.

Source: cis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.