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lewd

[lood]
See more synonyms for lewd on Thesaurus.com
adjective, lewd·er, lewd·est.
  1. inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious.
  2. obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.
  3. Obsolete.
    1. low, ignorant, or vulgar.
    2. base, vile, or wicked, especially of a person.
    3. bad, worthless, or poor, especially of a thing.
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Origin of lewd

before 900; Middle English leud, lewed, Old English lǣwede lay, unlearned
Related formslewd·ly, adverblewd·ness, noun
Can be confusedlewd obscene pornographic profanatory profane
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

eroticismobscenityvulgaritylecheryribaldrypruriencepornographywickednessdirtinessincontinenceimpuritycorruptnessdebaucherycarnalitydissolutenesslustfulnessgrossnessdepravityevilnesslasciviousness

Examples from the Web for lewdness

Historical Examples

  • They are not the fruits of love but of a sexual union based on idleness and lewdness.

    The Sexual Question

    August Forel

  • Ye've followed him so long in lewdness that now yell follow him in conversion!

    The Lion's Skin

    Rafael Sabatini

  • Messalina, wife to the emperor Claudius, infamous for her lewdness.

  • And these games are reckoned devout in proportion to their lewdness.

    The City of God, Volume I

    Aurelius Augustine

  • By the French and Anglo-Saxon laws, lewdness was thus punished.

British Dictionary definitions for lewdness

lewd

adjective
  1. characterized by or intended to excite crude sexual desire; obscene
  2. obsolete
    1. wicked
    2. ignorant
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Derived Formslewdly, adverblewdness, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Old English lǣwde lay, ignorant; see lay ³
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 lewdness

lewd

adj.

Old English læwede "nonclerical," of uncertain origin but probably ultimately from Vulgar Latin *laigo-, from Latin laicus (see lay (adj.)). Sense of "unlettered, uneducated" (early 13c.) descended to "coarse, vile, lustful" by late 14c. Related: Lewdly; lewdness.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper