*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of hijra

From Hindi हीजड़ा (hījṛā).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A eunuch in South Asia, especially one who dresses as a woman. · A (typically biologically male or intersex, but sometimes biologically female) member of a somewhat feminine third gender found in India and Pakistan.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Hindi हीजड़ा (hījṛā).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (South Asia)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "हीजड़ा"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi हीजड़ा (hījṛā)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "हीजड़ा",
      "हीजड़ा#Hindi"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A eunuch in South Asia, especially one who dresses as a woman.",
        "A (typically biologically male or intersex, but sometimes biologically female) member of a somewhat feminine third gender found in India and Pakistan."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "86d85d8b761e86882303cc7271935653fde30288e7d7d4ba641730f40d125eb4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "25cfacee4b1b27b9d7cadea972282f7d387acff6b31ce8228ac7fecebe50f1f5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 413909
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative letter-case form of Hijra. · Any similar flight or emigration to a better place. · Emigration from a non-Muslim country to a Muslim one.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Arabic هِجْرَة (hijra, “departure, exodus”). Doublet of hegira.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "هِجْرَة",
        "t": "departure, exodus"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic هِجْرَة (hijra, “departure, exodus”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hegira"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of hegira"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "هِجْرَة",
      "هجرة#Arabic"
    ],
    [
      "hegira",
      "hegira#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative letter-case form of Hijra.",
        "Any similar flight or emigration to a better place.",
        "Emigration from a non-Muslim country to a Muslim one."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of"
      ],
      "recordId": "26b3ae6cd67a098c3c41ede30aba23cb39dfcc049a505eb14b4198cb34cfa536",
      "rawRecordSha256": "20c4fcea911e77b9bf8681a09e20c29384f1b9f20c7d03f8428e211f861230af",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 413910
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for hijra →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aGlqcmE