Is “cis” in fact a slur? Let’s mull on its Latin origin

“Illustration” (ho ho) by the writer

I saw something online where discussion was taking place as to whether transgender women are really women. I do not want to discuss that matter here.

However, I noticed that some people were saying that “cis” as in cisgender for “born female” women was a slur. I disagree that “cis” is a slur. In this context, the prefix “cis” from Latin* means “on this side”.

From my dim and distant schoolgirl studies about the “ancient Romans”, I recall that Cisalpine Gaul (now part of Northern Italy) meant an area where Gaulish people lived on the side of the Alps closer to Rome — as opposed to Transalpine Gaul (which lies more or less where modern-day France does).

The Merriam-Webster dictionary shows a number of words beginning with “cis”**. Of course, not all those words include “cis” as in the Latin prefix but here are some which do.

1. Cisandine*** — meaning on the nearer side of the Andes mountains. The nearer side would be relative — depending on whether one was situated to the west or the east of the Andes.
2. Cispontine**This word is archaic. It means on this side/the near side of a bridge. The website forreadingaddicts.co.uk informs that in relation to bridges across the Thames in London “cispontine” refers to the northern side of the Thames. ***
3. Cispadane** which signifies lying on the south (i.e closer to Rome) side of the Po (Padus) river in Italy. Between late 1796 and mid-1797 Napoleon Bonaparte formed a Cispadane Republic in the area — which he merged with a state called the Cisalpine Pepublic in June 1797.***
4. Cismontane. **** On the near side of a range of mountains. Although it comes from Latin wording, the Collins Dictionary states that this word originated in the 19th century.
5. CisJordania***** — An old-fashioned way of referring to the West Bank of the Jordan.

So since “cis” has been around since the likes of Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius walked the streets of Rome, I do not consider it to be a slur. Of course, if someone prefers to be referred to as a "woman” rather than a “cisgender woman” that is her right.

*https://www.dictionary.com/browse/cis-

**https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordfinder/classic/begins/all/-1/cis/1

List of words beginning with “cis”.

***https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cisandine

****https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/cispontine#google_vignette

Above — Collins dictionary definition of “transpontine”.

*****https://forreadingaddicts.co.uk/word-day-cispontine/

**https://www.dictionary.com/browse/cispadane

*** — from the Britannica website forreadingaddicts.co.uk https://www.britannica.com/place/Cispadane-Republic

****https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/cismontane

*****https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank#:~:text=:%20Yehuda%20VeShomron).-,Cisjordan,east%20of%20the%20Jordan%20River.

Explanation of the word CisJordania from Wikipedia under the entry for “West Bank”. It is some way down the page — the second entry under “Names”.