Meaning & use
satyriasis
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Meaning
noununcountablemedicalold-fashioned
An old clinical term for abnormally strong and persistent sexual desire in a man.
Grammar: Uncountable and mainly historical; modern medicine uses other terms such as hypersexuality.
Patterns
- suffer from satyriasis
- a case of satyriasis
Nineteenth-century physicians described satyriasis as a disorder of the nerves.
The textbook listed satyriasis alongside other conditions that are now classified differently.
Historians of medicine note that the term satyriasis carried moral judgment.
Common combinations
- diagnosed with satyriasis
- In the old case notes, the patient was diagnosed with satyriasis.
- term satyriasis
- The term satyriasis has largely disappeared from clinical use.
- satyriasis and nymphomania
- Older texts paired satyriasis and nymphomania as matching conditions.
- history of satyriasis
- The article traces the history of satyriasis in medical writing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hypersexuality
- Hypersexuality is the current clinical term and applies to any gender, whereas satyriasis is dated and applies only to men.
- hypersexual disorder
- This is a modern, more neutral phrase that avoids the mythological and judgmental tone of satyriasis.
Opposites
Word family
- satyr noun
- a lustful woodland creature in Greek myth
- satyric adjective
- relating to satyrs
- satyrical adjective
- like a satyr in behavior
- satyromania noun
- an older synonym of satyriasis
Commonly confused: satyriasis or satire? satyriasis or nymphomania?
satyriasis vs satire
Satire is writing that mocks human faults and has no medical meaning; it is also spelled quite differently.
satyriasis vs nymphomania
Nymphomania is the old matching term for women, while satyriasis was used for men.
Practice
Why do modern doctors rarely use the word satyriasis?
Choose one answer.
Satyriasis is an old label that modern medicine has replaced with other terms. The other options give wrong meanings or claims.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “satyriasis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.