same-sex
Meaning
Involving or relating to people of the same sex, especially in the context of romantic or sexual relationships.
Structure
Usage
The law guarantees equal rights for same-sex couples.
The school has a support group for same-sex attracted youth.
The debate focused on the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Etymology
The compound adjective "same-sex" is a modern formation built from two fundamental English words. "Same" has a direct lineage from Proto-Germanic, retaining its core meaning of "identical" or "not different". "Sex" entered English via Old French from the Latin sexus, a term of uncertain but ancient origin, possibly related to secare ("to cut, divide"), reflecting a concept of division into male and female categories. The combination, emerging prominently in the late 20th century, logically and transparently denotes attributes, relationships, or institutions pertaining to people of an identical gender category, serving as a precise and neutral descriptive term in legal, social, and personal contexts.
Analysis
- same: From Old English sama, meaning "identical, unchanged". Germanic origin. - sex: From Latin sexus, meaning "state of being male or female, gender". Latin origin.