Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

erotica

play
noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction erot·i·ca \i-ˈrä-ti-kə\

Definition of erotica

  1. 1 :  literary or artistic works having an erotic theme or quality

  2. 2 :  depictions of things erotic

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-5991e113c97b3
Trending: Trump Calls Racism 'Repugnant'
image1458426927
Good Words for Strong Flavors
alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Origin and Etymology of erotica

New Latin, from Greek erōtika, neuter plural of erōtikos

EROTICA Defined for English Language Learners

erotica

play
noun

Definition of erotica for English Language Learners

  • : works of art or literature that deal with sex and are meant to cause sexual feelings : erotic works

Medical Dictionary

erotica

play
noun plural but singular or plural in construction erot·i·ca \i-ˈrät-i-kə\

Medical Definition of erotica

  1. :  literary or artistic works having an erotic theme or quality

Learn More about erotica

  1. See words that rhyme with erotica Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about erotica

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up erotica? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

oppugn

play

to fight against or to call in question

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  2. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

  3. bereft "Lacking something needed, wanted, or expected"

  4. impanel "To choose people to serve on a jury"

  5. cosmopolitan "Worldly"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

erotica

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

  • time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
  • Which came first?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-599492594f435
How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

dog-covering-face
Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

image1458426927
Food Words for Strong Flavors

A tasting menu of vivid flavor descriptions

alt-5993066a3afad
What's the Plural of 'Maitre d''?

Use this word to confuse a French speaker.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

time-traveler-quiz-which-word-came-first
Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which word entered the English language first?

Take the quiz
name-more-food
Name More Food!

Test your knowledge of food vocabulary!

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Bee Cubed
Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game