sex change

noun

variants or less commonly sex change operation or sex change surgery

plural sex changes also sex change operations or sex change surgeries

usually offensive

: gender confirmation surgery, gender-affirming surgery

Note: This term is usually considered to be offensive in its implication that sex is wholly determined by anatomy. Gender confirmation surgery and gender-affirming surgery are the preferred terms in both medical and general English, and surgery is seen as one of many possible ways to affirm one's gender identity, rather than an essential part of transitioning (see transition entry 2 sense 2) .

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above