Libidinous

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /lɪˈbɪ.dɪ.nəs/

Definitions

1. Exhibiting an intense preoccupation with sexual matters or desires
2. Defined by a strong and often unrestrained craving for sexual fulfillment or enjoyment
3. Displaying a powerful and often unchecked interest in physical intimacy

Etymology: "Libidinous" arrived in English in the late Middle Ages, borrowed from the Latin "libīdinōsus," meaning "full of desire" or "lustful." The Latin adjective is built from "libīdō," a word for desire, longing or inclination, to which the suffix "-ōsus" adds the sense "full of" (the same suffix that gives English "famous" and "dangerous" their endings in their Latin forms). In Rome, "libīdō" was not confined to sex; it could describe a strong wish or whim of almost any kind, and the sexual sense came to dominate only gradually. That broader Latin range is worth keeping in mind, because it explains why the English word looks so neutral on paper. The root is simply desire, and the narrower meaning of carnal appetite is a specialization that the adjective inherited along with the word. The English sense of an intense preoccupation with sexual matters is therefore the result of a long narrowing rather than a deliberate choice by the first borrowers.

Synonyms: lascivious, lecherous, lustful, salacious, sensual

Antonyms: chaste, pure, modest, innocent, virtuous