cis-

IPA/sˈɪs/
IPA/sˈɪs/

cis- — adjective

1. used for someone whose own gender identity agrees with the sex label given to th

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

used for someone whose own gender identity agrees with the sex label given to them at birth

Example

The form asks whether you identify as cis, trans, or non-binary.

identify as cis / trans / non-binary

Nora said most health studies still focus mainly on cis patients.

Common collocations
  • cis man
  • cis woman
  • cis person
  • cis people
Synonyms
  • cisgender

    the full form; more formal and less clipped than cis

Antonyms
  • trans

    describes someone whose gender identity does not match the sex assigned at birth

Usage Note

Usually appears before a noun, as in cis man or cis woman, or after be. It contrasts with trans and describes gender identity, not sexual orientation.

Common Mistakes

He is cis because he is attracted to women.
He is cis because his gender identity matches the sex assigned to him at birth.
cis describes gender identity, not sexual orientation.

2. in chemistry, used when key atoms or groups are positioned together on one side

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

in chemistry, used when key atoms or groups are positioned together on one side of a bond or ring structure

Example

In the cis form, both chlorine atoms stay on one side.

cis form — same-side arrangement in chemistry

Mina drew the cis isomer before comparing it with the trans isomer.

cis isomer vs. trans isomer

Common collocations
  • cis isomer
  • cis form
  • cis bond
  • cis fatty acid
Synonyms
  • same-side

    a plain-English paraphrase, not the standard technical label

Antonyms
  • trans

    marks the opposite-side arrangement in the same kind of structure

Usage Note

Used mostly in chemistry classes and technical writing. It is often paired with trans to compare two structures of the same compound.

Common Mistakes

A cis isomer has the groups on opposite sides.
A cis isomer has the groups on the same side.
cis marks a same-side arrangement.

Word family

Etymology

Latin

From Latin cis, meaning 'on this side'. In English it appears in chemistry and, more recently, as a clipped form of cisgender.