two-spirit

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• Received-Pronunciation: /tuːˈspɪɹɪt/
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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtuːˌspɪɹɪt/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• General-American: /tuˈspɪɹɪt/
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• General-American: /ˈtuˌspɪɹɪt/
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• rhymes with -ɪɹɪt (one pronunciation)
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PIE word *dwóh1 From two + spirit.

The noun is derived from two + spirit, coined in 1990 at the Third Annual Inter-tribal Native American, First Nations, Gay and Lesbian American Conference held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, based on Ojibwe niizh manidoowag (“two spirits”) (coined at the same conference), from niizh (“two”) + manidoo (“spirit”) + -wag (suffix denoting the third-person plural of an animate noun); the term was created to replace berdache in anthropological literature which was considered offensive. The adjective is derived from the noun.

98 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: kahden sielun — involving two spirits; especially, pertaining to the doctrine of dualism
• Russian: с двумя́ ду́шами (s dvumjá dúšami) — involving two spirits; especially, pertaining to the doctrine of dualism
• Esperanto: duspirita — of, pertaining to, or being a two-spirit
• Finnish: kaksisieluinen — of, pertaining to, or being a two-spirit
• French: bispirituel — of, pertaining to, or being a two-spirit
• Aleut: ayagigux̂ — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Aleut: tayagigux̂ — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Alutiiq: aranu'tiq — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Western Apache: ndéʼsdzan — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Arapaho: haxu'xan — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Arikara: skuxát — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Assiniboine: wįktą — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Atsugewi: brumaiwi — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Atsugewi: yaawa — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Blackfoot: awau-katsik-saki — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Blackfoot: a'yai-kik-ahsi — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Blackfoot: ninauh-oskiti-pahpyaki — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Central Siberian Yupik: anasik — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Central Siberian Yupik: uktasik — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Cheyenne: he'émane — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Cheyenne: he'émáné'e — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Cheyenne: hetanémáné'e — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Chiwere: mixo'ge (transvestite or transgender person) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Cocopa: elha — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Cocopa: warrhameh — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Cree: ᐁᔨᐦᑵᐤ (eyihkwew) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Cree: êyihkwêw — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Crow: bate — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Dakota: wiŋkta — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Dakota: winkta — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Esperanto: duspiritulo — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Finnish: kaksisieluinen — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• French: bispirituel — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• French: berdache — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• French: bardache — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• German: Two-Spirit — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Gros Ventre: athuth — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Hidatsa: miati — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Hopi: hova (quod vide) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Inuktitut: ᓯᐱᓂᖅ (sipiniq) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Inuktitut: sipiniq (sipiniq) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Isthmus Zapotec: (ira') muxe (male-bodied) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Itelmen: koekchuch (male-bodied) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Itelmen: коекчуч (male-bodied) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Kansa: mínxoge — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Eastern Keres: kokwima — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Western Keres: kokwimu — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Western Keres: kok'we'ma — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Klamath-Modoc: t'winiːq — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Ktunaxa: kupatke'tek — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Ktunaxa: titqattek — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Kuna: omegiid — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Lakota: wíŋkte — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Luiseño: kwit (Juaneño dialect; male-bodied) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Luiseño: cuit (Luiseño dialect; male-bodied) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Mandan: mihdeke — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Mapudungun: weye — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Maricopa: ilyaxai' — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Maricopa: kwiraxame' — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Mojave: alyha — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Mojave: hwame — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Navajo: nádleeh — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Navajo: nádleehé — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Nomlaki: walusa (hermaphrodite) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Northern Paiute: tüdayapi — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Ojibwe: ikwekaazo — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Ojibwe: ininiikaazo — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Omaha-Ponca: mix'uga — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Pawnee: ckúsaat — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Pawnee: kúsaat — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Portuguese: dois-espíritos — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Potawatomi: m'netokwe — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Quechua: quariwarmi — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Quileute: yah'wa — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Russian: бердаш (berdaš) — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Southern Tiwa: lhunide — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Spanish: dos espíritus — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Tewa: kwido — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Tlingit: gatxan — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Upper Kuskokwim: aranaruaq — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Upper Kuskokwim: angutnguaq — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Ventureño: 'aqi — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Wailaki: clele — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Kings River Yokuts: tonoo'tcim — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Palewyami Yokuts: tonocim — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Southern Valley Yokuts: tonochim — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Yuki: í-wa-musp — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Yuki: íwap náip/ipnaip — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Yuki: musp-íwap náip — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Yuki: iwap kuti — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Yuma: elxa' — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Yuma: kwe'rhame — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Yurok: wergern — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Yurok: wrgrn — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Zuni: lhamana — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Zuni: katsotse — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Zuni: katsotstsi' — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache
• Zuni: katsotstsi — Native North American gender-variant, bisexual, or homosexual person — see also berdache