erot(o)-
Sexual desire or excitement.
[Greek erōs, erōt-, sexual love.]
Examples include eroticism, the quality or character or being erotic, arousing sexual desire or excitement; erotica, literature or art intended to arouse sexual desire; erotology, the study of sexual love and behaviour; erotomania, excessive sexual desire. The adjective erogenous, which refers to a part of the body sensitive to sexual stimulation (as in erogenous zone), comes from the same Greek root.
Visit Michael Quinion’s World Wide Words site for 2000+ articles on English!
Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Page last updated 23 September 2008.
Your comments and suggestions on the site are very welcome.