porn
/pɔːrn/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
πόρνη (pórnē) — harlot, prostitute
Overview
Meaning Now
- material, such as magazines, photographs, or films, that depicts sexual acts or nudity in an erotic manner, typically for the purpose of sexual arousal.
- colloquial shorthand for pornography.
Literal older meaning
writing about harlots
Language path
Ancient Greek → English
Earliest form
pornography
Earliest period
19th century
Journey
The term originates from the Greek 'pornographos', a combination of 'pornē' (prostitute) and 'graphē' (writing). Originally, it referred to technical studies or literature concerning the lives of prostitutes, but it underwent a significant shift in the 19th and 20th centuries to denote any sexually explicit content.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
πόρνη (pórnē)
“prostitute”
Derived from the verb pernanai (to sell).
- 19th century
pornographie
“description of prostitutes”
French coinage describing literature about the lives of prostitutes.
- 20th century
porn
“sexually explicit material”
Clipping of pornography becoming standard in modern English.
Connections
Word parts
porn-
root
prostitute
-graphy
suffix
writing or depiction
Related across languages
French
pornographie
pornography
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.