Nymphomanias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A condition characterized by an excessive or compulsive sexual desire that may dominate one's thoughts and actions
2. An overwhelming preoccupation with sexual activity that can lead to a variety of social and personal issues
3. A psychological state marked by an insatiable craving for sexual engagement, often recognized as a form of hypersexuality

Etymology: "Nymphomanias" is the plural of "nymphomania," so it refers to several distinct cases or forms of the condition. The noun "nymphomania" was borrowed from New Latin, a scholarly Latin coined by early modern and later European scientists and physicians for technical terms. Its two parts are Latin "nympha," originally meaning a bride or young woman and later, in anatomy, the labia minora, and the Greek-derived "-mania," meaning a compulsive craving or madness. The Latin "nympha" itself comes from Greek "nymphē," a word for a bride or maiden, which in myth gave its name to the nymphs, minor female divinities of woods, rivers, and springs. The word is a physician's coinage built from classical parts, not a term ancient Greeks or Romans used, so its association with sexuality comes from the anatomical sense of "nympha" combined with the medical suffix.

Synonyms: hypersexuality, insatiability, sexual addiction, libidinousness, promiscuity

Antonyms: asexuality, celibacy, abstinence, chastity, self-restraint