prurient interest

This is an interesting topic.........I am not sure how to get to the bones or the truth of what it means. From what I see, there is much misinformation on the Web about this subject.

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prurient

pru·ri·ent

adjective \-ənt\

: having or showing too much interest in sex

Full Definition of PRURIENT

: marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest or desire; especially : marked by, arousing, or appealing to sexual desire

— pru·ri·ent·ly adverb

Examples of PRURIENT

He took a prurient interest in her personal life.
a book that appealed to the prurient curiosity of its readers

Origin of PRURIENT

Latin prurient-, pruriens, present participle of prurire to itch, crave; akin to Latin pruna glowing coal, Sanskrit ploṣati he singes, and probably to Latin pruina hoarfrost — more at freeze

First Known Use: 1592

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

prurient adj. (ˈprʊərɪənt)

1. (Psychology) unusually or morbidly interested in sexual thoughts or practices

2. exciting or encouraging lustfulness; erotic

[C17: from Latin prūrīre to itch, to lust after]

ˈprurience n ˈpruriently adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

pru•ri•ent adj. (ˈprʊər i ənt)

1. having or characterized by lascivious or lustful thoughts, desires, etc.

2. causing lasciviousness or lust.

[1630–40; < Latin prūrient- (s. of prūriēns), present participle of prūrīre to itch]

pru′ri•ence, pru′ri•en•cy, n.

pru′ri•ent•ly, adv.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus:

1. prurient - characterized by lust; "eluding the lubricious embraces of her employer"; "her sensuous grace roused his lustful nature"; "prurient literature"; "prurient thoughts"; "a salacious rooster of a little man"

lustful, salacious, lubricious

sexy - marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest; "feeling sexy"; "sexy clothes"; "sexy poses"; "a sexy book"; "sexy jokes"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

prurient

adjective

1. lecherous, longing, lewd, salacious, lascivious, itching, hankering, voyeuristic, lustful, libidinous, desirous, concupiscent our prurient fascination with sexual scandals

2. indecent, dirty, erotic, obscene, steamy (informal), pornographic, X-rated (informal), salacious, smutty the film's harshly prurient and cynical sex scenes

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002