Voyeurs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who gains sexual pleasure from watching others engage in intimate activities
2. An individual who observes others secretly, especially in a sexual context
3. Someone who enjoys observing personal moments of others, often without their consent

Etymology: "Voyeurs" is the plural of "voyeur," a word English borrowed from French, where it means simply "one who sees" or "watcher." The French noun is built from "voir," "to see," which descends from Latin "videre," plus the agent suffix "-eur," the same pattern found in "acteur" (actor) and "chanteur" (singer). The root carries no hint of secrecy or sexuality. Those connotations came with the word's use in English, which now applies it almost exclusively to someone who watches others covertly, often for sexual gratification. English forms the plural with a regular "-s," so the French plural spelling is not used in English.

Synonyms: spectators, observers, watchers, onlookers, peepers