hebephilia

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English hebe-

Proto-Indo-European *bʰil-

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *bʰil-o-s

Ancient Greek φῐ́λος (phĭ́los)

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂

Proto-Hellenic *-íā

Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā)

Ancient Greek φῐλῐ́ᾱ (phĭlĭ́ā)der.

English -philia

English hebephilia

From hebe- (“relating to youth”) + -philia.

Pronunciation

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Noun

hebephilia (uncountable)

1. (dated) A sexual preference for adolescent girls.
   • 1975 Forensic Science Abstracts - Volume 1 - Page 216

     This finding, if confirmed, may offer a useful lead for research in heterosexual pedophilia or hebephilia (a preference for pubescent girls)

   • 1989 Robert H. Rencken Intervention Strategies for Sexual Abuse page 10:

     paraphilias are included: hebephilia (adolescent girls) and ephebophilia (adolescent boys), although the dynamics of these latter two may be closer to those of adult attraction.

   Coordinate terms: korophilia, parthenophilia

2. Adult sexual attraction primarily towards pubescent children and younger adolescents, usually between 10 and 14 years old. Can fall under the same definition as pedophile.

   Coordinate terms: ephebophilia, pedophilia, teleiophilia

Usage notes

• This term is not universally accepted among psychiatrists, due to possible overlap with pedophilia, and it notably got rejected from inclusion in the DSM-5.

Derived terms

• hebephile, hebephiliac
• hebephilic
• pedohebephilia

See also

• ephebophilia
• pederasty, romantic or sexual relationship between a man and an adolescent boy

Further reading

• hebephilia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia