aphrodisiac

[af-ruh-dee-ze-ak, -diz-ee-ak]

See more synonyms for aphrodisiac on Thesaurus.com

adjective

Also aph·ro·di·si·a·cal [af-ruh-duh-zahy-uh-kuh l, -sahy-] /ˌæf rə dəˈzaɪ ə kəl, -ˈsaɪ-/. arousing sexual desire.

noun

an aphrodisiac food, drug, potion, or other agent that arouses sexual desire.

Origin of aphrodisiac

1710–20; < Greek aphrodīsiakós relating to love or desire, equivalent to aphrodī́si(os) of Aphrodite + -akos -ac

Related formsan·ti·aph·ro·dis·i·ac, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for aphrodisiac

erotic, turn-on, popper, amative, amatory, amorous

Examples from the Web for aphrodisiac

Contemporary Examples of aphrodisiac

Expensive real estate is an aphrodisiac for girls like Claire, Walter notes.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Feb. 4, 2013
Jimmy So, G. Clay Whittaker, Tunku Varadarajan
February 4, 2013
Power is an aphrodisiac, Henry Kissinger famously said, but it is clearly also a great skin cream.
Guess Who's 60 Now?
Susan Cheever
June 27, 2009

Historical Examples of aphrodisiac

Eringoes, the holly plant, which was considered to be an aphrodisiac.
Thomas Otway
Thomas Otway
For I, too, wrote at first to amuse myself with aphrodisiac statements.
L-bas
J. K. Huysmans
The use of cantharides and other aphrodisiac remedies to stimulate the sexual organs is a most pernicious practice.
Plain Facts for Old and Young
John Harvey Kellogg
Ishtar's aphrodisiac character, though it can scarcely be doubted, does not appear very clearly in the inscriptions.
The Seven Great Monarchies Of The Ancient Eastern World, Vol 1. (of 7): Chaldaea
George Rawlinson
It is sometimes taken as an abortifacient or given as an aphrodisiac, but whether it has any such action is open to question.
Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
W. G. Aitchison Robertson

British Dictionary definitions for aphrodisiac

aphrodisiac

noun

a drug, food, etc, that excites sexual desire

adjective

exciting or heightening sexual desire

Word Origin for aphrodisiac

C18: from Greek aphrodisiakos, from aphrodisios belonging to Aphrodite

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aphrodisiac

1719, from Greek aphrodisiakos "inducing sexual desire," from aphrodisios, "pertaining to Aphrodite; sexual pleasure; a temple of Aphrodite," Greek goddess of love and beauty. As an adjective from 1830 (earlier was aphrodisical, 1719)

aphrodisiac in Medicine

aphrodisiac

[ăf′rə-dĭz′ē-ăk′, -dē′zē-]

adj.

Arousing, increasing, or intensifying sexual desire.

An aphrodisiac drug or food.

Related formsaph′ro•di•si′a•cal (-dĭ-zī′ĭ-kəl) adj.

aphrodisiac in Culture

aphrodisiac

[(af-ruh-dee-zee-ak, af-ruh-diz-ee-ak)]

A substance or quality that excites sexual desire.

Note

Aphrodisiacs are named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.