Unerotic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Marked by an absence of sexual excitement or attraction
2. Lacking any form of sexual allure or intrigue
3. Not producing or associated with sexual excitement or appeal

Etymology: "Unerotic" is a plain compound: the prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to "erotic". It shows up in English only as a negation of an existing word, so there is no separate story of its own to tell beyond the pieces it is built from. "Erotic" traces back to Ancient Greek "erōtikos", formed from "erōs", meaning love or sexual desire, which itself comes from the verb "eraō", to love passionately. The Greeks used "erōtikos" for matters of love in general, and the word passed through Latin "erōticus" and French "érotique" before English took it in as "erotic". The "un-" prefix is Old English in origin, where it was a common native way to make an opposite, so "unerotic" joins a long line of English adjectives built the same way.

Synonyms: non-sexual, asexual

Antonyms: erotic, sexual