libido
|li-bi-do|
🇺🇸
/lɪˈbiːdoʊ/
🇬🇧
/lɪˈbiːdəʊ/
sexual desire/drive
Etymology
'libido' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'libido', where 'libido' meant 'desire, lust'.
'libido' was borrowed into English from Latin (and via scholarly/medical usage and European languages such as German), and was further popularized in the early 20th century by Freud's use of the German term 'Libido' to denote psychic sexual energy.
Initially it meant 'desire' or 'lust' in general Latin usage, but over time it also took on a specialized psychoanalytic sense of 'psychic sexual energy' while retaining the ordinary meaning of sexual desire.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
sexual drive or desire; the instinctual energy associated with sexual activity.
His libido increased after he began exercising regularly.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
(Psychology, especially psychoanalysis) The psychic energy or instinctual force associated with sexual instincts; used by Freud and other theorists to describe motivational energy.
Freud used the term 'libido' to refer to the psychic energy of sexual instincts.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/01 00:44