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Definition of paraphilia - 5 dictionary results

par⋅a⋅phil⋅i⋅a

  [par-uh-fil-ee-uh]
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–noun Psychiatry.
a type of mental disorder characterized by a preference for or obsession with unusual sexual practices, as pedophilia, sadomasochism, or exhibitionism.
Also called sexual deviation.

Origin:
1920–25; para- 1 + -philia, on the model of paranoia
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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par·a·phil·i·a   (pār'ə-fĭl'ē-ə, -fēl'yə)   
n.  Any of a group of psychosexual disorders characterized by sexual fantasies, feelings, or activities involving a nonhuman object, a nonconsenting partner such as a child, or pain or humiliation of oneself or one's partner. Also called sexual deviation.
par'a·phil'i·ac n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

paraphilia 
1925, in translation of work by Viennese-born psychotherapist Wilhelm Stekel (1868-1940), who coined it from Gk. para- "beside, aside" + philos "loving." Used in Eng. translations of his works; not in widespread use until 1950s. first used in "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" in 1980, as a morally neutral and more dignified label than perversion, to which it is nonetheless etymologically similar.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: para·phil·ia
Pronunciation: -'fil-E-&
Function: noun
: a pattern of recurring sexually arousing mental imagery or behavior thatinvolves unusual and especially socially unacceptable sexual practices (as sadism, masochism, fetishism, or pedophilia)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

paraphilia n.
Sexual practices that are socially prohibited.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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