amativenessn.
/ˈamətᵻvnᵻs/, U.S. /ˈæmədᵻvnᵻs/ Now chiefly historical.
Propensity to love or sexual desire.The term amativeness is particularly associated with Phrenology (phrenology n. 2).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > amorous love > [noun] > propensity to love or sexual passions
amativeness1668
1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. iii. i. 302 That is stiled an Abstract Active, which implies a proclivity to Action, as Regnativity, Amativeness, or Amorousness.
1815 J. G. Spurzheim Physiognom. Syst. Pref. 9 In the nomenclature of the propensities..I have therefore adopted amativeness, like destructiveness.
1869 A.C. Swinburne in Fortn. Rev. 1 May 554 The satyrs, though perforce living virtuously in a state of servitude, retain their natural amativeness.
1917 A. Cahan Rise of David Levinsky (1993) xiv. vii. 526 Sometimes I have a spell of morbid amativeness and seem to be falling in love with woman after woman.
1963 H. Hotema Secret of Regeneration (1998) 231/2 In phrenology, amativeness is said to be a faculty that is supposed to influence sexual desire.
2002 A. N. Wilson Victorians ix. 104 The lumps and bumps of the human cranium were seriously supposed to relate to propensities and characteristics such as amativeness, hope, wonder, wit and so on.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1668