The Cambridge Dictionary has updated its definitions of "man" and "woman" to include transgender people, a spokesperson confirmed to The Washington Post on Tuesday.
Sophie White, the spokesperson for Cambridge University Press and Assessment, told the Post that the dictionary's editors "made this addition to the entry for 'woman' in October," but the change wasn't widely noticed until the British newspaper the Telegraph reported on it earlier this week.
The editors "carefully studied usage patterns of the word woman and concluded that this definition is one that learners of English should be aware of to support their understanding of how the language is used," White said in a statement.
She added that the longtime definition of "woman" as "an adult female human being" "remains unchanged," and said that the dictionary added an additional definition stating: "An adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth."
The entry for "man" still states "an adult male human being," and it now includes the additional definition: "an adult who lives and identifies as male though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth."
The Post notes that the Cambridge Dictionary follows Merriam-Webster, which in 2020 updated its definition of "woman" to include "having a gender identity that is the opposite of male," and made a similar change to the definition of "man."
A spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign told the newspaper in an interview: "Dictionaries don't define languages used. They explain how it is already being used generally. We know there is a rising tide of acceptance of LGBTQ+ people broadly, and that's certainly inclusive of trans people. You are seeing a reflection of what is already widely accepted."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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