English
sapiosexuality
Sapiosexuality comes from Latin sapiens ‘wise, judicious’, from sapiō ‘to discern’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₁p-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sapjō‘to discern, can tell apart, know’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsapiō‘to discern’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsapiens‘wise, judicious’
- Englishearliest quotation 2008sapiosexuality
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₁p-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sapjō‘to discern, can tell apart, know’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsapiō‘to discern’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsapiens‘wise, judicious’
- Englishearliest quotation 2008sapiosexuality
Earliest quotation: 2008, Mohua Das, Virtual Vanities: “So a self-confessed culture vulture is a member of…”
Formed from sapiosexual + -ity
Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p-
Proto-Italic *sapjō ‘to discern, can tell apart, know’
Latin sapiō ‘to discern’
Latin sapiens ‘discerning, wise, judicious’
English sapiosexual
The story
Purportedly coined in 1998.
Linked words
through Latin sapiō ‘to discern’
sage, savvy, savory, savour, savant, insipid, sabe, 12 more
through Latin sapiens ‘wise, judicious’
Today it means
noun The state of being sexually attracted to intelligence or the human mind.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *seh₁p- / sapiosexuality