[JonFrum]

Originally Posted by ila

Trans comes from Latin and means across.



Transvestite also comes from Latin; the word trans - across and the word vestire - to dress. The literal translation is crossedresser. The word was not invented by some researcher studying males who dressed up as females. It has been used in English for a good long time.

From Wikipedia:

Magnus Hirschfeld coined the term transvestism (from Latin trans-, "across, over" and vestitus, "dressed") to refer to the sexual interest in cross-dressing.[2] He used it to describe persons who habitually and voluntarily wore clothes of the opposite sex. Hirschfeld's group of transvestites consisted of both males and females, with (physically) heterosexual, (physically) homosexual, bisexual, and asexual orientations.[3]

Also:

After all the changes which took place during the 1970s, a large group was left without a word to describe themselves: heterosexual males (that is, male-bodied, male-identified, gynephilic persons) who wear traditionally feminine clothing. This group was not particularly happy with the term transvestism. Therefore, the term cross-dresser was coined. Self-identified cross-dressers generally do not have fetishistic intentions, but are instead men who wear female clothing and often both admire and imitate women.

I didn't read the Wikipedia article before I wrote my post - it's just common knowledge stuff in the field.