neutrois

English

WOTD – 8 November 2025

Etymology

Apparently a blend of French neu(tre) (“neuter”, adjective) or its etymon Latin neu(ter) (“neuter”, adjective) + French trois (“three”) (referring to the third gender),^[1] coined by Holly A. Burnham in 1995 as a self-description.^[2]

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈnjutɹɑː/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈnjutɹɑː/, /-tɹɔɪs/
Audio (General American); /ˈnjutɹɑː/: (file)
Hyphenation: neu‧trois

Adjective

neutrois (not comparable)

(LGBTQ, rare) Chiefly of a person: having a neutral gender (being neither male nor female), and having or seeking to have no or reduced physical sexual characteristics; contrasts with agender. [from 1995]
Hypernym: genderqueer
- 1996 December 3, <GoSpangs@aol.com>, “You Can Never Go Home”, in soc.support.transgendered‎^[2] (Usenet):
  "To question my behavior is to deny your own." –Holly A. Burnham […] Gender Punk. Gender Anarchy. Gender Terrorism. Neutrois Revolution! [email signature]
- 2005, Matt Kailey, “Trans-lations”, in Just Add Hormones: An Insider’s Guide to the Transsexual Experience, Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press, →ISBN, page 167:
  It [the word transgender(ed)] can also refer to those who present as androgynous or do not define themselves by gender at all. In some cases, these people self-identify as genderqueer, genderless, or neutrois.
- 2016, Ian McEwan, chapter 15, in Nutshell […], Toronto, Ont.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf Canada, →ISBN, page 144:
  A social-media site famously proposes seventy-one gender options—neutrois, two spirit, bigender … any colour you like, Mr Ford. Biology is not destiny after all, and there's cause for celebration.
- 2016, Ashley Mardell, “Gender”, in The ABC’s of LGBT+, [Coral Gables, Fla.]: Mango Media, →ISBN, page 126:
  Being neutrois is living completely outside the gender binary. For me, neutrois is a gender identity exactly in the middle of the spectrum, but without any female- or maleness within it. […] Because of my neutrois identity, I am honored by they/them/their pronouns, and prefer to be referred to with gender-neutral words such as "person" and "sibling".

Translations

chiefly of a person: having a neutral gender — see also agender

Finnish: sukupuoleton (fi)
French: please add this translation if you can
Japanese: ニュートロワ (nyūtorowa)

References

^ Compare “neutrois, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
^ See, for example, “Neutrois FAQ”, in Neutrois.com‎^[1], 7 March 2023, archived from the original on 23 June 2025:
Who invented the term “Neutrois” and when? It was originally coined by Holly A. Burnham in 1995. Holly was active on Usenet groups at the time. Ze formed it to give a name to hirself, and other people with feelings of gender absence and resulting misalignment. The term is derived from the Latin root neuter and French trois, meaning “three”.

Anagrams

routines, rutinose, snoutier, tournies, tue-irons, turiones

[1] Compare “neutrois, n.”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

[2] See, for example, “Neutrois FAQ”, in Neutrois.com‎^[1], 7 March 2023, archived from the original on 23 June 2025:
Who invented the term “Neutrois” and when? It was originally coined by Holly A. Burnham in 1995. Holly was active on Usenet groups at the time. Ze formed it to give a name to hirself, and other people with feelings of gender absence and resulting misalignment. The term is derived from the Latin root neuter and French trois, meaning “three”.

[1]

[2]