Saturday, August 1, 2009

Epicene

Epicene: Originally, epicene, which shares its etymology with common, described characteristics common to both sexes. Over the recent few centuries epicene has been expanded to also include characteristics of the opposite sex (as in effeminate for men) and characteristics of neither sex (as in asexual). This an epicene man might be bisexual, gay, or asexual - anything but straight. After all this linguistic evolution, epicene come directly to its etymology (above common or uncommon). Other epi- words are epicenter (above the center) and epidermis (above the skin).
The Calder public relations representative - that odd, epicene individual from his interview with Georgie Pickles - appeared discreetly at his side.

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