pruriency C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas US /ˈprʊriənsi/ UK /ˈprʊəriənsi/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun excessive interest in sexual matters The film was criticized for its gratuitous pruriency. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · excessive interest in... lewdnesslasciviousnesssalaciousnesspruriencelecherylustfulness ↔ Opposites chastitymodestydecency Word family Related forms prurientprurigo Etymology AI details From Latin prurire ('to itch, long for, be wanton') + -ency. The underlying verb meant literally 'to itch', extended to figurative craving. prurire Latin *preus- Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # pruriency **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈprʊriənsi/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈprʊəriənsi/ ## Meanings 1. excessive interest in sexual matters ## Examples - The film was criticized for its gratuitous pruriency. ## Synonyms - lewdness - lasciviousness - salaciousness - prurience - lechery - lustfulness ## Antonyms - chastity - modesty - decency ## Related Forms - prurient - prurigo ## Roots and Affixes - Root: prurire - Root: *preus- ## Etymology From Latin prurire ('to itch, long for, be wanton') + -ency. The underlying verb meant literally 'to itch', extended to figurative craving. ## AI Etymology Pruriency comes from Latin prurire ('to itch, long for, be wanton') + -ency. The underlying verb meant literally 'to itch', extended to figurative craving. The historical chain includes Latin prurire and Proto-Indo-European *preus-. The quoted older senses, "to itch, long for, be wanton" and "to itch", supply the semantic anchors for pruriency. The formation is best read as suffixal and borrowed: the word pruriency carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a noun, "excessive interest in sexual matters". Related English forms include prurient and prurigo. The result is a noun whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization. ## Topics - Abstract Ideas - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown