eros

See also: Appendix:Variations of "eros"

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἔρως (érōs, “love, desire”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɪə.ɹɒs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɛɹ.ɑs/, /ˈɪɚ.ɑs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

eros (usually uncountable, plural erotes)

1. A winged figure of a child representing love or its power.
2. Physical love; sexual desire.
   • 2008, Preeta Samarasan, Evening is the Whole Day, Fourth Estate, page 54:

     He would introduce her to the wonders of eros; she would bloom under his expert tutelage.

3. a type of love that seeks fulfillment without violation or something else.
4. (psychiatry) libido
5. (psychiatry) collective instincts for self-preservation; life drive.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “life drive”): death drive, Thanatos

Translations

physical love; sexual desire

• Japanese: 性愛 (ja) (せいあい, seiai)
• Polish: eros (pl) m, Eros (pl) m

Anagrams

• Rose, reos, 'orse, REOs, ROEs, roes, RoEs, Roes, eors, orse, ores, öres, rose, sore, Reos, EORs, sero-, rosé

Basque

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eɾos̺/ [e.ɾos̺]
• Rhymes: -eɾos̺, -os̺
• Hyphenation: e‧ros

Etymology 1

Noun

eros inan

1. (psychology) eros

Declension

Declension of eros (inan C-stem)

	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	eros	erosa	erosak	erosok
ergative	erosek	erosak	erosek	erosok
dative	erosi	erosari	erosei	erosoi
genitive	erosen	erosaren	erosen	eroson
comitative	erosekin	erosarekin	erosekin	erosokin
causative	erosengatik	erosarengatik	erosengatik	erosongatik
benefactive	erosentzat	erosarentzat	erosentzat	erosontzat
instrumental	erosez	erosaz	erosez	erosotaz
innesive	erosetan	erosean	erosetan	erosotan
locative	erosetako	eroseko	erosetako	erosotako
allative	erosetara	erosera	erosetara	erosotara
terminative	erosetaraino	eroseraino	erosetaraino	erosotaraino
directive	erosetarantz	eroserantz	erosetarantz	erosotarantz
destinative	erosetarako	eroserako	erosetarako	erosotarako
ablative	erosetatik	erosetik	erosetatik	erosotatik
partitive	erosik	—	—	—
prolative	erostzat	—	—	—

Etymology 2

Verb

eros

1. Short form of erosi (“to buy”).

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɛ.roːs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈɛː.ros]

Noun

erōs

1. accusative plural of erus

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French éros.

Noun

eros n (uncountable)

1. eros (physical love)

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	eros	erosul
genitive-dative	eros	erosului
vocative	erosule

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἔρως (érōs, “love, desire”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeɾos/ [ˈe.ɾos]
• Rhymes: -eɾos
• Syllabification: e‧ros

Noun

eros m (uncountable)

1. eros; sexual desire
2. (psychiatry) libido

   Synonym: libido

Related terms

• erógeno
• erótico

Further reading

• “eros”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025