How Do You Spell PRURIENT?

Pronunciation: [pɹˈʊ͡əɹi͡ənt] (IPA)

The word "prurient" (/ˈprʊərɪənt/) refers to someone who has an excessive or inappropriate interest in sexual matters. The spelling of this word is not intuitive, as it contains the combination of the letters "pru" and "rient". However, the pronunciation of the word provides a clue to its spelling, as the stressed syllable "ri" is pronounced with a long "e" sound, indicating the presence of the digraph "ie". Remembering the IPA transcription of the word can help ensure correct spelling when writing about sexually suggestive topics.

PRURIENT Meaning and Definition

  1. Prurient is an adjective that is used to describe something relating to or characterized by an excessive or inappropriate interest in sexual matters. It refers to content or behavior that is intended to stimulate or arouse sexual desire or curiosity. The term is often associated with immoral or lascivious thoughts or tendencies.

    When applied to literature, art, or any form of media, prurient suggests that it appeals to base sexual interests or fantasies by being explicit or sexually explicit, often without any regard for artistic merit or legitimate literary or artistic purpose. It implies that the content is sexually suggestive, offensive, or salacious in nature.

    In a legal context, the term "prurient interest" is also used to determine whether material is obscene or not, as defined by the Supreme Court. If the material appeals to the prurient interest, portrayed in an offensive manner, and without redeeming artistic, scientific, literary, or political value, it may be deemed obscene.

    The term prurient is often used in criticism, censorship debates, or discussions regarding appropriate content for public consumption, as it reflects a judgment on the explicit sexual nature of content and its impact on the audience's moral sensibility.

  2. Itching; uneasy with desire.

    Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.

Top Common Misspellings for PRURIENT *

* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.

Other Common Misspellings for PRURIENT

Etymology of PRURIENT

The word "prurient" comes from the Latin word "prurientem", which is the accusative form of "pruriens", the present participle of the verb "prurire". "Prurire" means "to itch" or "to be itchy" in Latin. The figurative meaning of the word "prurient", which refers to something that is characterized by or arousing an excessive or inappropriate interest in sexual matters, developed in English during the 17th century.

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