Where does “pornography” come from?
Pornography comes from French pornographie, derived from Ancient Greek πορνογράφος, combining πόρνη porne (prostitute) and γράφω graphō (to write or depict).
pornography (English): The explicit literary or visual depiction of...
Definitions
- The explicit literary or visual depiction of...
Ancestry of “pornography”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | pornographie | pornography |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πορνογράφος | A pornographic author |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | γράφω | to scratch, cut into; to draw, sketch, paint; to... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | grəpʰō | to scratch, cut or carve into |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gerbʰ- | to carve |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |