Etymology: Originally < French travesti, past participle of travestir to wear the clothing of a different kind of person, to disguise oneself, to disguise (1580; 1543 as past participle transvesti ), to cross-dress (c1590), to change the sense of (1623; 1648 with reference to literature: see note) < Italian travestire to disguise (a1498 in reflexive use; 14th cent. as past participle travestito ), to change the character of (a1589) < tra- (see trans- prefix) + vestire vest v.Introduced to Britain in the title of P. Scarron's 1648 parody on Virgil's Aeneid called Le Virgile travesty en vers burlesques (literally ‘Virgil disguised in burlesque verses’), which is alluded to in quot. 1664. Compare also G.B. Lalli's earlier Italian parody L'Eneide travestita, literally ‘the Aeneid disguised’ (1633). English usage. In English, the word was never fully naturalized as an adjective, but used primarily as a postmodifier in work titles imitating Scarron. However, this was soon converted into a more successful noun (see sense B. 1), which subsequently attracted uses corresponding to those of the French and Italian verbs (see sense B. 2); in the latter sense probably partly influenced by French travesti (in theatre) cross-dressing (1824 or earlier in en travesti ), part played by a member of the opposite sex (1831), costume worn for such a part (1884), use as noun of the past participle of travestir . In recent use in the form travesti often with conscious reference to the French word (especially in en travesti at Phrases 1).

Etymology: < French travestir (see travesty adj.). Compare slightly earlier travesty adj. and slightly later travesty n. Compare also travest v.Earliest as past participle travestied , corresponding to the French past participle travesti (see discussion at travesty adj.), which it sometimes translates. Compare earlier travested adj. at travest v. Derivatives and similar uses of the past participle at travest v. Compare also slightly later travestied adj. at Derivatives.