Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “aphrodisiac” come from?

Aphrodisiac derives from Ancient Greek ἀφροδισιακός, an adjective formed from Ἀφροδίτη, the goddess of love and desire.

aphrodisiac (English): Arousing or intensifying sexual desire;...

Definitions

  1. Arousing or intensifying sexual desire;...

Ancestry of “aphrodisiac”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekἀφροδισιακόςaphrodisiac
2Ancient Greek-ακός-ic
3Ancient Greek-κόςforms adjectives with the sense of 'of or...
4Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

Words derived from “aphrodisiac”

  • anaphrodisiac
  • antiaphrodisiac
  • antaphrodisiac
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →