pornography

[ pawr-nog-ruh-fee ]

noun

1. sexually explicit videos, photographs, writings, or the like, whose purpose is to elicit sexual arousal.

pornography

/ pɔːˈnɒɡrəfɪ; ˌpɔːnəˈɡræfɪk /

noun

1. writings, pictures, films, etc, designed to stimulate sexual excitement
2. the production of such material

pornography

1. Books, photographs, magazines, art, or music designed to excite sexual impulses and considered by public authorities or public opinion as in violation of accepted standards of sexual morality. American courts have not yet settled on a satisfactory definition of what constitutes pornographic material. ( See obscenity .)

Derived Forms

• porˈnographer, noun
• pornographic, adjective
• ˌpornoˈgraphically, adverb

Other Words From

• por·no·graph·ic [pawr-n, uh, -, graf, -ik], adjective
• porno·graphi·cal·ly adverb
• anti·porno·graphic adjective
• anti·por·nogra·phy noun adjective
• nonpor·no·graphic adjective
• unpor·no·graphic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pornography¹

1840–50; < Greek pornográph ( os ) writing about harlots ( porno-, combining form of pórnē harlot + -graphos -graph ) + -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of pornography¹

C19: from Greek pornographos writing of harlots, from pornē a harlot + graphein to write

Example Sentences

Pornography is here to stay—a consequence of living in a free country.

From The Daily Beast

The Pornography of Terror By Christopher Dickey, Oct. 1, 2011 Maybe now the madness can end.

From The Daily Beast

Pornography is sexual expression; human trafficking and slavery are crimes.

From The Daily Beast

"Pornography has crawled out of the muck and has joined trash culture," she says.

From The Daily Beast

Pornography, an eminent American jurist has pointed out, is distinguished by the "leer of the sensualist."

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• smut