homosexual

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˌhoʊməˈsɛkʃuəl/ UK /ˌhɒməˈsɛksjuəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
sexually attracted to people of one's own sex

The study examined attitudes toward homosexual couples.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · sexually attracted to... gay lesbian queer

Opposites

heterosexualstraight

Word family

Derived forms homosexualityhomosexually

Related forms bisexualheterosexualasexual

Simplified etymology

Homosexual, recorded from the late 19th century, uses the Greek-derived prefix homo-, “same,” to describe attraction to the same sex.

Etymology

A 19th-century coinage (German homosexual, 1869) from Ancient Greek homós ('same') + Latin sexualis ('of sex'), from sexus ('sex').

homós Ancient Greek sexus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# homosexual

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˌhoʊməˈsɛkʃuəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌhɒməˈsɛksjuəl/

## Meanings
1. sexually attracted to people of one's own sex

## Examples
- The study examined attitudes toward homosexual couples.

## Synonyms
- gay
- lesbian
- queer

## Antonyms
- heterosexual
- straight

## Derived Forms
- homosexuality
- homosexually

## Related Forms
- bisexual
- heterosexual
- asexual

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: homós
- Root: sexus

## Etymology
A 19th-century coinage (German homosexual, 1869) from Ancient Greek homós ('same') + Latin sexualis ('of sex'), from sexus ('sex').

## AI Etymology
Homosexual is a 19th-century coinage (German homosexual, 1869) from Ancient Greek homós ('same') + Latin sexualis ('of sex'), from sexus ('sex'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As an adjective and noun, it carries the sense "sexually attracted to people of one's own sex", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Ancient Greek homós and Latin sexus. Derivative forms include homosexuality, homosexually; related words include bisexual, heterosexual, asexual.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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