aphrodisiac

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a food, drug, or other substance believed to increase sexual desire or arousal

   The dish was advertised as an aphrodisiac, although the claim lacked evidence.

2. 2
   adj

   believed to arouse or intensify sexual desire

   The writer attributed aphrodisiac powers to the rare spice.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Aphrodisiac, recorded in the early 18th century, derives from the name Aphrodite, the Greek goddess associated with beauty, fertility, and sexual love.

Borrowed from Greek aphrodisiakos, 'sexual or pertaining to Aphrodite,' from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and sexuality. The noun developed from the adjective for a substance credited with stimulating desire.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary