theyfab

T1H4E1Y4F4A1B3
/ˈðeɪfæb/

noun

A non-binary person who was assigned female at birth, often one that does not change their physical appearance.

“Coordinate term: theymab”

OriginEnglish AFAB ← Middle English birthe ← Old Norse burðr →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nountheyfab (plural theyfabs)

plural theyfabs

  1. derogatoryoffensiveLGBTQ slangA non-binary person who was assigned female at birth, often one that does not change their physical appearance.

    Coordinate term: theymab

    1 more example

    It was only last year that I realized that I'm a trans man, not a theyfab nonbinary, and started transitioning with T immediately.

    2018 November 2, anonymous author, 4chan, archived from the original on 02 Nov 2018

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*tóy
  2. Proto-Germanic*þai
  3. Proto-Norse*ᚦᚨᛁᛉ (*þaiʀ)
  4. Old Norseþeir
  5. Middle Englishþei
  6. Englishthey
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  8. Proto-Italic*ad
  9. Proto-Italic*ad-
  10. Latinad-
  11. Proto-Indo-European*sek-?
  12. Proto-Italic*segnom
  13. Proto-Italic*segnāō
  14. Latinsignō
  15. Latinassignō
  16. Old Frenchassigner
  17. Middle Englishassignen
  18. Englishassign
  19. Englishassigned
  20. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁(y)-
  21. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-m̥h₁n-éh₂
  22. Proto-Italic*θēmanā
  23. Proto-Italic*fēmanā
  24. Latinfēmina
  25. Latinfēmella
  26. Old Frenchfemele
  27. Middle Englishfemele
  28. Middle Englishfemale
  29. Englishfemale
  30. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  31. Proto-Germanic*at
  32. Old Englishæt
  33. Middle Englishat
  34. Englishat
  35. Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
  36. Proto-Indo-European*bʰértis
  37. Proto-Germanic*burþiz
  38. Old Norseburðr
  39. Middle Englishbirthe
  40. Englishbirth
  41. EnglishAFAB
  42. Englishtheyfab

Blend of they + AFAB (“assigned female at birth”). The first known use is from December 2016 on Twitter.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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