Alloerotism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of being sexually stimulated by the attractiveness or allure of another individual
2. A phenomenon where one feels erotic desire sparked by another person's beauty or charisma
3. The experience of sexual excitement caused by perceiving someone's appeal

Etymology: "Alloerotism" is a formation built from Greek parts. The first, "allo-", comes from the Greek "allos," meaning "other" or "different," as in "allopathy" or "allergy." The second, "erot-", comes from "erōs," the Greek word for love or desire, which also gave English "erotic." The final "-ism" is the familiar suffix for a doctrine, condition or practice. The word works through a contrast with "autoerotism," where desire is directed at oneself. Alloerotism, by contrast, names desire directed at another person. The term is a technical coinage, so it does not come from ancient usage; it was assembled from classical roots in modern scientific or psychological writing, where the "allo-" and "auto-" pairing was used to sort kinds of erotic response.