Definition of "epicoene"

Epicoene, or The ſilent VVoman. A comœdie. [title page]The character of Epicoene turns out to be a boy dressed as a woman.]

, “Epicoene, or The Silent Woman. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, page 525

In many names of animals, the same word with the same gender is used for both sexes: ἡ ἁλὠπηξ the fox, male or female. These are said to be epicoene.

1862, James Hadley, “Nouns”, in A Greek Grammar, for Schools and Colleges, New York, N.Y., London: D. Appleton and Company, […], part second (Inflection), paragraph 118, page 32