Eros

American  

[eer-os, er-os] / ˈɪər ɒs, ˈɛr ɒs /

noun

plural

Erotes

1. the ancient Greek god of love, identified by the Romans with Cupid.

2. a representation of this god.

3. a winged figure of a child representing love or the power of love.

4. (sometimes lowercase) physical love; sexual desire.

5. Astronomy. an asteroid that approaches to within 14 million miles (22.5 million km) of the earth once every 44 years.

6. Psychiatry.

   1. the libido.

   2. instincts for self-preservation collectively.

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Eros British  

/ ˈɛrɒs, ˈɪərɒs /

noun

1. Roman counterpart: Cupid.  Greek myth the god of love, son of Aphrodite

2. Also called: life instinct.  (in Freudian theory) the group of instincts, esp sexual, that govern acts of self-preservation and that tend towards uninhibited enjoyment of life Compare Thanatos

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Eros Cultural  

1. A Greek and Roman god of love, often called the son of Aphrodite. He is better known by his Roman name.

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Discover More

The word erotic comes from the Greek word eros, which is the term for sexual love itself, as well as the god's name.

Etymology

Origin of Eros

Greek: desire, sexual love

Example Sentences

Pictures show a heavily damaged vehicle lying on its roof near the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, popularly known as Eros.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025

The burning question facing America is: Will the other basic drive, which Freud called Eros and Harris and Walz call joy, provide us with an alternative?

From Slate • Oct. 1, 2024

But “Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974,” an eyebrow-raising exercise in oversharing that Hara made the previous decade, warrants a look of its own.

From New York Times • Feb. 29, 2024

“The first classroom where I felt like I mattered was an ethnic studies classroom,” said Eros Nelson, a student at the Center School who identifies as Afro-Indigenous.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 12, 2024

Here is my palindrome poem on the subject: Eros, eyesore.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver