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libido

sexual desire

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Where does the word "libido" come from? It comes from Latin libido, and was adopted directly into English (1909).

Read the full story

Where does the word "libido" come from? It comes from Latin libido, and was adopted directly into English (1909).

Libido’s story begins in Latin: libido meant “desire, lust.” From 'libere', to please. It reached English by 1909 as libido. Taken up by Freud's translators. Today, libido means sexual desire.

  1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient libido "desire, lust", from 'libere', to please.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1909 libido "sexual desire", taken up by Freud's translators.

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