Where does “cross-dresser” come from?

cross-dresser (English) comes from English cross-dress, from English dress, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.

cross-dresser (English): A person who wears clothing which society considers appropriate only for members of the opposite sex

Definitions

  1. A person who wears clothing which society considers appropriate only for members of the opposite sex

Ancestry of “cross-dresser”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishcross-dressTo wear clothes typically associated with the...
2EnglishdressTo fit out with the necessary clothing; to...
3English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
4Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
5Old English-tūnhomestead, village, town
6Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
7Proto-West Germanictūnfence
8Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
9Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
10Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
11Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “cross-dresser

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-Every word from Proto-Celtic dūnomEvery word from English -ing