Eroticized

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To infuse a concept with sexual excitement and attraction, thereby enhancing its appeal
2. To render a topic more alluring by emphasizing its sexual elements, thus increasing its seductive nature
3. Presented or altered to evoke sexual desire or fascination

Etymology: Erotic comes from ancient Greek "erōtikos", meaning "of love", which was built from "erōs", the Greek word for passionate love and desire. The Greek personification Eros, god of love, shares that root. The Latin "erōticus" carried the adjective into European languages, and French "érotique" passed it on to English, where "erotic" appeared in the 1600s, though it meant "relating to love" rather than sexually explicit. Eroticize is a much later formation. English took the suffix "-ize" from Greek "-izein", through Late Latin "-izāre" and Middle French "-iser", and attached it to "erotic" to mean "to make erotic". The verb is a modern coinage, built from the adjective by ordinary English word-formation rather than inherited from any ancient text. The past form "eroticized" simply applies that verb to something made sexually arousing, so it describes a thing that has been given erotic charge, whether by a photograph, a costume, or a piece of writing.

Synonyms: sexualized, sensualized