Friday, February 8, 2013

Word from Mythology: Venereal

You already learned about the word "aphrodisiac" from the Greek name for the goddess of love, Aphrodite. The Roman name for the goddess of love, Venus, gives us a different word: "venereal," meaning sexual, having to do with sex. The word is most commonly used in the phrase "venereal disease" or VD, although that phrase has now been replaced by "sexually transmitted disease," STD.