hermaphrodite

Term: hermaphrodite

Literally meaning: “Hermes  and  Aphrodite (in one body)”

Origin: Anc Greek

Ερμαφρόδιτος/Hermaphroditos(=a minor deity, the handsome youth son of Hermes and Aphrodite who  was fused with nymph, Salmacis, after her prayer to gods,  resulting in a bisexual individual. The name is compounded of Hermes and Aphrodite.

Eρμής/hermes(=Hermes was the Olympian god for travelers and the messenger of gods to humans) > probably from the word έρμα/herma(=a boundary stone)

+Aφροδίτη/Haphrodite(=Apfrodite the Olympian goddess of beauty and love)  >αφρός/aphros(=sea foam) +δύομαι/dyomai=arise.

  In Greek vase painting Hermaphroditus was depicted as a winged youth with the head , breasts, and body of a female but with male genitalia.

Coined/History 

In the past for many religions (Egypt, India, Mexico, Greece, Roman  etc) described mythical hermaphrodites  but a real hermaphrodite birth was considered as a bad omen. In the Talmud they got the worst of both sexes eg they couldn't serve as priests like girls but also they weren't allowed to be alone with women.  In the 17th cen one Scottish hermaphrodite who lives as a woman was buried alive and in the early of 2oth cen the were displayed in freak shows. 

Definition

(biology) a rare medical condition in which the individual has been born with ovarian and testicular tissue resulting to an ambiguous sex with male and female characteristics

 (botany) the condition in which the flower of a plant has both the  male (staminate) and female (carpellate) parts. The plant that has separate male and female flowers on the same individual is called monoecious.