Introduction

The attempt to brand cis(gender) as a slur is not truly about the word itself—they wouldn't be any happier with any other word that was used for the same meaning—but an attempt to deny the very category of "cisgender" and thus by extension the existence of "transgender".

But since the word itself is often attacked under pretense, here's its history and relations. Plus—its history and relations are inherently interesting!

Teaser

ad hoc, he, here, cisalpine, cisgender, cis, Cambrian, Koine, cede, necessary

Full Text

• Proto-Indo-European *ḱi this, here

  • Anatolian *ḱí

    • Hittite 𒆠𒄿 ki-i
  • Hellenic *kéi-

    • Hellenic *é-kei-enos

      • Classical Greek ἐκεῖνος ekeînos that, that place, there

        • Greek εκείνος that
        • Classical Greek ἐκεῖ ekeî there, in that place, dead (euphemism) back-formed

          • Greek εκεί ekeí there
  • Italic *-ke

    • Italic *ek-ke

      • Latin ecce
    • Italic *ɣe-k(e)

      • Latin hic

        • Latin hīc

          • Western Romance

            • French y
            • French ici
            • Spanish aquí
      • Italic *ɣo-ke

        • Latin hoc that

          • Western Romance

            • Catalan òc yes

              • French Langue d'oc

                • English Languedoc
          • Vulgar Latin *hoc ille yes, yes that

            • Western Romance

              • Old French oïl yes

                • French oui

                  • Māori Wīwī France
                • French langue d'oïl

                  • English langue d'oïl
          • Latin ad hoc

            • English ad hoc
    • Italic *num-ke

      • Latin nunc right now
    • Italic *olle-ke

      • Latin illic in that place, there

        • Central Romance

          • Italian lì there
        • Western Romance

          • Spanish allí there
        • Latin illāc that way, over there

          • Central Romance

            • Italian là there
          • Western Romance

            • French là there
            • Spanish allá there, over there, back then
    • Italic *sei-ke

      • Latin sic thus
    • Italic *tom-ke

      • Latin tunc then, from then on, therefore

        • Late Latin dunc

          • Central Romance

            • Dalmatian duanc
            • Italian dunque
          • Insular Romance

            • Sardinian duncas
          • Western Romance

            • French donc
  • Proto-Indo-European *ḱís this here

    • Balto-Slavic *śís this

      • East Baltic

        • Lithuanian šìs this

          • Lithuanian šiandien today "this day"
      • West Baltic

        • Old Prussian sis
      • Slavic *sь this

        • East Slavic

          • Russian сей sej this (archaic)

            • Russian сейчас sejčás now, immediately lit. "this time, this hour"
        • South Slavic

          • Old Church Slavonic сь sĭ this, this person, he
        • West Slavic

          • Polish -ś some- (forms indefinite pronouns)
    • Germanic *hiz this acc. form *hinǭ

      • East Germanic

        • Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌽𐌰 hina this (acc.)
      • North Germanic

        • Proto-Norse ᚺᛁᚾᛟ hino this (acc.) on the Strøm whetstone
      • West Germanic

        • Old English hē he, it

          • English he
        • Frankish *hie

          • Dutch hij he
          • Dutch ie he
      • Germanic *hē₂r here ^[1]

        • East Germanic

          • Gothic 𐌷𐌴𐍂 hēr here
        • North Germanic

          • Old Norse hér here

            • Danish her here
            • Icelandic hér here
        • West Germanic

          • Old English hēr here

            • English here
          • Frankish *hiar

            • Dutch hier here, this
          • Old High German hiar

            • German hier here
      • Germanic *hinō dagō this day

        • West Germanic

          • Old English hēodæġ today
          • Frankish *hiudo

            • Dutch huidig current, present
          • Old High German hiutu

            • German Heute today
    • Italic *kis

      • Latin cis on this side of, before reaching

        • Latin cis-

          • Latin cisalpīnus cisalpine, on this side of the Alps

            • English cisalpine
          • English cis-

            • English Cisatlantic
            • English cisatracurium
            • English Ciscaucasia
            • English cisgender

              • English cis
            • English Cisjordan
            • English Ciskei
            • English Cisplatina
            • English cis-trans isomerism
            • English cistron

              • English polycistron
    • Proto-Indo-European *ḱíteros this one, the one that's here contrastive

      • Germanic *hidrê to here, hither

        • East Germanic

          • Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌳𐍂𐌴 hidrē hither, here
        • North Germanic

          • Proto-Norse ᚺᛖᛞᛖᚱᛡ hederᴀ

            • Old Norse heðra here, hither

              • Icelandic heðra
        • West Germanic

          • Old English hider to here, hither

            • English hither
      • Italic *kiteros

        • Latin citer on this side, near
        • Italic *kitəmos superlative

          • Latin citimus nearest
    • Proto-Indo-European *ḱós this here

      • Anatolian *ḱā́s

        • Hittite 𒅗𒀀𒀸 ka-a-aš
        • Cuneiform Luwian 𒍝𒀀𒀸 za-a-aš
      • Old Armenian *so-

        • Old Armenian սոյն soyn this same

          • Armenian սույն suyn this same
        • Old Armenian սա sa this

          • Armenian սա this
        • Old Armenian -ս -s this, I

          • Armenian -ս -s my, myself
          • Old Armenian աստ ast here, now
      • Celtic *koi loc.

        • Old Irish ᚕᚑᚔ koi here (is buried)
      • Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm at, near, beside, with

        • Balto-Slavic *śun

          • East Baltic

            • Lithuanian sù with
          • Slavic *sъ(n)
        • Celtic *kom-

          • Brythonic *köβ̃-

            • Welsh cyf- with variants cym-, cy-
            • Brythonic *kömroɣ

              • Welsh Cymro
              • Latin Cambria

                • English Cambrian
          • Old Irish com-

            • Irish comh-
        • Germanic *ga-
        • Italic *kom

          • Latin cum
          • Latin con- with allophonic variants co-, cō-, com-, col-, cor- depending on following sound

            • Latin concēdere

              • English concede
        • Proto-Indo-European *ḱomyós

          • Hellenic *koňňós

            • Classical Greek κοινός koinós common, public, shared

              • Koine Greek Κοινή Koinḗ Koine Greek ἡ κοινή διάλεκτος hē koinḗ diálektos: "the shared dialect"

                • English Koine
        • Proto-Indo-European ḱómno

          • Italic *komno

            • Oscan comono
            • Umbrian kumne
          • Tocharian

            • Kushean aṅkānmi equally
        • Proto-Indo-European ḱm̥ti

          • Anatolian

            • Hittite 𒃰𒋾 kat-ti along with
          • Hellenic *kasi

            • Classical Greek καί kaí and, even, also
            • Hellenic *kasignētós together-born

              • Classical Greek κασίγνητος kasígnētos sibling
        • Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm-som-

          • Hellenic *kusun

            • Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀱 ku-su with

              • Mycenaean Greek 𐀓𐀱𐀵𐀫𐀣 ku-su-to-ro-qa in total
            • Homeric Greek ξύν ksun beside, with

              • Classical Greek σύν sún beside, with

                • Greek συν syn plus, +
                • Classical Greek συν- sun- with variants su-, sum-, sug-, sul-, sur-, sus- depending on following sound

                  • English syn-
          • Celtic ḱóm-smiyo-

            • Old Irish cummae

              • Irish cuma
        • Proto-Indo-European *ḱómteros contrastive

          • Germanic *hinder behind, beyond

            • West Germanic

              • Old English hindan

                • English hind
            • Germanic *hinderōną

              • West Germanic

                • Old English hindrian

                  • English hinder
          • Italic

            • Latin contrā against, opposite, in return
  • Proto-Indo-European *ḱi-déh₂itis this day lit. "this interval, this division"

    • Pre-Albanian *tˢjāi-dītei this day, today

      • Albanian sot today
  • Proto-Indo-European *ḱi-h₂éh₃mr-om this day lit. "this heat"

    • Hellenic *ťi-āmeron this day with ​​*ā́mər: "day, heat"

      • Classical Greek σήμερον today

        • Greek σήμερα today
  • Proto-Indo-European *ḱi-nókʷts this night with span class='transliteration' >*nókʷts

    • Pre-Albanian *tˢjā(i)-naktāi this night

      • Albanian sonte tonight
  • Proto-Indo-European *ḱi-wétos this year with span class='transliteration' >*wétos

    • Pre-Albanian *tˢjei-wetei this year

      • Albanian sivjet this year
    • Hellenic *ťi-wétes this year

      • Classical Greek σῆτες sêtes this year
  • Proto-Indo-European *ḱyés-dʰh₁eti moves lit. "here-puts"

    • Indo-Iranian *sáydʰati

      • Indo-Aryan

        • Sanskrit 𑀲𑁂𑀥𑀢𑀺 sédhati to go, to move, to drive away, to command, to complete
      • Iranian

        • Avestan 𐬯𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬀𐬝 siiazdat̰ will chase away
    • Italic *kezdēzi

      • Latin cēdēre to move, to proceed, to result, to withdraw, to disappear, to give up

        • English cede
        • Latin cessāre frequentive

          • English cease
        • Latin cessus given up, surrendered

          • Latin necesse unavoidable

            • English necessary
        • Latin cessāns

          • Latin incessāns

            • English incessant
        • Latin abscēdere

          • English abscess
        • Latin accēdere

          • English accede
          • English access
        • Latin antecēdere

          • English antecedent
        • Latin concēdere

          • English concede
        • Latin dēcēdere

          • English decease
        • Latin excēdere

          • English exceed
        • Latin intercēdere

          • English intercede
        • Latin praecēdere

          • English precede
        • Latin procēdere

          • English procede
          • English process
        • Latin recēdere

          • English recede
          • English recessive
        • Latin sēcēdere

          • English secede
        • Latin succēdere

          • English succeed

Visual

Collected English words

Languedoc, langue d'oïl, ad hoc, he, here, cisalpine, cis-, Cisatlantic, cisatracurium, Ciscaucasia, cisgender, cis, Cisjordan, Ciskei, Cisplatina, cis-trans isomerism, cistron, polycistron, hither, Cambrian, Koine, syn-, hind, hinder, cede, cease, necessary, incessant, abscess, accede, access, antecedent, concede, decease, exceed, intercede, precede, procede, process, recede, recessive, secede, succeed

Footnotes

1. ^

   Germanic *hē₂r: "here" from Germanic *hiz: "this" is an interesting story! It has the locative suffix *-r that also creates "where" from "who"/"what", "there" from "the"/"that", "yonder" from "yon", etc. But in **hizr, *z is deleted before *r, with compensatory lengthening of the vowel.

   The same happens in, e.g., Germanic *hērą: "hair" (except the lowering of *i to *e), if the theory that it derives from *kesróm: "what is combed" is correct: *kesróm -> **hezrą -> *hērą.

   But in the case of **hizr > *hē₂r, the compensatory lengthening of short *i in resulted in the rare phoneme *ē₂, which in most other cases corresponds to PIE *ei. Where as for most *ē in Germanic, it is preserved as *ē in East Germanic, but merges with *ā in North and West, *ē₂ remains *ē or merges with *ī in North and West Germanic (and merges with *ē in East Germanic).

   The existence of a phonemic difference in early Proto-Germanic between *ē and *ē₂ is also supported by the existence of the rune *Ē₂haz ᛇ, whose function—as separate from *Ēhwaz ᛖ and *Īsaz ᛁ—was already unclear by the time of the early Proto-Norse inscriptions where it is first attested.