Origin: Latin suffix -al
Transsexual has 5 different meanings across 2 categories:
a person who has undergone a sex change operation
"After undergoing extensive surgery and hormone therapy, she lived happily as her true self following the transition to become transsexual."
a person whose sexual identification is entirely with the opposite sex
"The term transsexual describes a person whose sexual identification is entirely with the opposite sex, though it is important to note that modern usage often prefers gender identity terms like transgender or trans man/woman."
A transsexual person.
"The clinic offered specialized support and resources specifically for a transsexual patient navigating hormone therapy."
identifying with the opposite gender from the one that one is born with
"After years of living as a man, she finally transitioned to fully identify as a woman, embracing her true self."
Having changed, or being in the process of changing, physical sex (because it does not match desired sex) by undergoing medical treatment such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and optionally sex reassignment surgery (SRS), or rarely only SRS.
"After years of hormone replacement therapy and a successful sex reassignment surgery, she is now a transsexual woman who feels completely aligned with her gender identity."
In plain English: Transsexual describes someone whose physical body does not match their internal sense of gender and who has medically transitioned to align them.
"The transsexual surgeon explained how her team would perform the operation."
Usage: Use this term to describe individuals who have undergone medical procedures to align their bodies with their gender identity. It is often considered outdated and less preferred than "transgender" in modern contexts unless specifically referring to the surgical aspect of transition.
The word "transsexual" comes from combining the prefix trans- with sexual. It was introduced to English in 1949 based on a German term coined by Magnus Hirschfeld in 1923 to describe individuals who identify with a gender different from their assigned sex.