English

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Etymology

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From TERF-en.

Adjective

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terven (comparative more terven, superlative most terven)

  1. (Internet slang) Characteristic of, related to, or espousing gender-critical or trans-exclusionary feminism.
    • 2018 April 26, Pidge (but evil) (@radfempidge), Twitter[1]:
      Happy #ldov [Lesbian Day of Visibility] to all them terven ladies and deffos no[sic] to males UwU
    • 2019 June 3, Roo B. (@roo_b_boy), Twitter[2]:
      There are those of the terven persuasion in my mentions and I have exactly no energy to deal today.
    • 2020 August 28, terfery is afoot (@gynosupremacist), Twitter[3]:
      Hi gyns!! I'm a terven artist who makes radfem-themed patches!!
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:terven.

Noun

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terven (countable and uncountable, plural tervens)

  1. (Internet slang, countable) A gender-critical or trans-exclusionary feminist.
    Synonyms: FART (derogatory), GC, GCF, gendercrit, gendercritter (derogatory), TERF
    • 2019 September 7, coffee spoons (@coffeespoons3), Twitter[4]:
      Any US radfems in the New England area? Watching with envy all the U.K. tervens getting to meet up
    • 2022 May 4, Roo B. (@roo_b_boy), Twitter[5]:
      Hey friends there's a few tervens who are harrasing[sic] this incredibly important binder fund aimed at the GRT community,
    • 2022 June 12, Wild Womyn Workshop (@Wild_Womyn), Twitter[6]:
      Tervens! I hope u all had a lovely weekend!
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:terven.
  2. (Internet slang, uncountable) Gender-critical or trans-exclusionary feminists collectively.
    • 2020 August 18, Maya Forstater (@MForstater), Twitter[7]:
      I gots data (at least for UK Terven)
    • 2020 December 15, Max has Nightmare Eyes (@chaoticgaythey), Twitter[8]:
      Because terven don't actually care about women's rights or equality
    • 2022 June 16, Kara Dansky (@KDansky), Twitter[9]:
      Request, terven and allies. I'm looking for articles written by lesbians and gay men arguing that "queer" is still a homophobic slur.
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:terven.

Usage notes

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  • This term is used by both critics and supporters of gender-critical/trans-exclusionary feminism.
  • The uncountable sense is usually plural (e.g., “those terrible terven”, “the terven are, “any terven know”, “the terven have added”), but is also attested as singular (e.g., “what the terven thinks”).