necrophilia
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of necrophilia
From New Latin, dating back to 1890–95; see origin at necro-, -philia
Explanation
Someone who is overly interested in dead bodies — even feeling an attraction toward them — suffers from necrophilia. Use the noun necrophilia to describe a person's fascination with, and sexual attraction to, corpses. There is some evidence that members of the Moche civilization, in what is now Peru, believed that sex with dead bodies provided a spiritual connection with the deceased, but necrophilia has mostly been a rare and abnormal occurrence. The word comes from the Greek nekros, "death," and philia, "love or affection."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Thus American society stands broadly convicted of necrophilia — as opposed to biophilia.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2024
Jokes about "necrophilia," "autism" and "Selena Gomez's kidney transplant" were named as examples of jokes that the characters found to be inappropriate.
From Fox News ● Aug. 4, 2021
The latest joke at her expense came in a recent episode of the Paramount+ legal drama, when characters discussed off-limits topics for comedy now as being necrophilia, autism and "Selena Gomez's kidney transplant".
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2021
Kevin McGowan, a professor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and not involved in the study, said he’d never witnessed a sign of necrophilia in more than three decades of observing crows.
From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2018
Kees Moeliker of the Netherlands, the scientific discoverer of homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2012
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
