Heterosex

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Sexual intercourse or relations between a man and a woman ; the opposite sex regarded collectively as a category of people
2. Physical intimacy between individuals of different biological sexes ; members of the other sex considered together as a group
3. Sex involving a man and a woman, or the opposite sex taken as a whole ; the people of the other gender viewed as one collective

Etymology: "Heterosex" is a compound of "hetero-", from Greek "heteros" meaning "other" or "different," and "sex." The prefix "hetero-" appears in many English scientific and technical coinages, such as "heterogeneous" and "heterodox," where it signals difference or otherness. Joined to "sex," it names sexual relations between people of opposite sexes, or the sexual orientation of someone attracted to the opposite sex. The word is a twentieth-century formation, so the classical roots are ancient but the combination is modern. It is best understood as a deliberate pairing of an established prefix with a common noun, built to mark a contrast with "homosex," the term it was formed to set against. The pattern matches other "hetero-" and "homo-" pairs in English, where the two prefixes stand for "other" and "same." Used as a noun or adjective, the word appears mostly in discussions of sexuality and identity, where a precise term for opposite-sex attraction or activity was needed alongside a term for same-sex attraction.

Synonyms: heterosexuality

Antonyms: homosex