Meaning & use
coital
Last updated
UK/ˈkəʊɪtəl/
US/ˈkoʊɪtəl/
Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to sexual intercourse, used in a clinical or scientific way.
Grammar: Appears in medical and research writing before a noun: coital frequency. It is not used in casual conversation.
Patterns
- coital + noun
The survey asked about coital frequency among married couples.
The doctor asked whether the pain was coital in origin.
Researchers compared coital and non-coital contact in the study.
Common combinations
- coital frequency
- The study recorded coital frequency over a year.
- coital activity
- The patient reported reduced coital activity.
- coital pain
- Coital pain should be discussed with a doctor.
- non-coital
- The researchers distinguished coital from non-coital contact.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sexual
- Sexual is much broader and covers anything related to sex, while coital refers only to intercourse.
- copulatory
- Copulatory is mostly used in biology for animals, whereas coital is used for people in medicine.
Opposites
noncoital
Word family
Practice
In which kind of text is coital most likely to appear?
Choose one answer.
Coital is a clinical term found in medical and scientific writing. It is too technical for casual messages and unsuitable for children's books or weather reports.
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