salacious
/səˈleɪʃəs
/- The gossip is usually more salacious, the stories downright dirtier and they tend to spend more money on wine.
- Kerekes defended himself against accusations that he was representing violent, sexual murder in a salacious, titillating and insensitive manner.
- In a fit of fury, Pentheus attempts unsuccessfully to imprison Dionysus, who subsequently awakens Pentheus's salacious interest in the cavorting ladies.
Synonyms
Derivatives
salaciously
- He does not treat the matter salaciously: how Kennedy dealt with his poor health becomes evidence of his ‘strength of character’ - though even more striking is the deception practised by him and his entourage.
- Boyle is a superb writer, but what really makes this wise and smartly researched novel so entertaining is the salaciously wacky subject matter.
- When the villainous Dr. Brinkman first encounters Ronica in her silver catsuit with cleavage on loan from Elvira, he comments salaciously, ‘No place to hide a gun in there.’
salaciousness
/ noun ...- The catalogue entry notes that the painting manages to avoid ‘indulging in the facile salaciousness of a Gerome.’
- Oddly enough, although there's no nudity, the scenes between Magimel and Doutey are some of the most erotic and highly charged in recent memory - apparently a little salaciousness goes a long way.
- The salaciousness of a rumor often helps it survive.
salacity
- My Encyclopaedia of Witchcraft and Demonology supplies vast detail of Satanic rites, with illustrations of lipsmacking salacity; sex and Satan clearly go together.
- The peacocks symbolized vanity, ibises - the past joy, different animals in the cavalcade are the symbols of salacity and other carnal sins.
Origin
Mid 17th century: from Latin salax, salac- (from salire 'to leap') + -ious.
salient from mid 16th century:
This was first used as a heraldic term meaning ‘leaping’. It comes from Latin salire ‘to leap’. The sense ‘outstanding, significant’ as in salient point is found from the mid 19th century. Salire is behind many other English words including assail and assault (Middle English) ‘jumping on’ people; exult (late 16th century) ‘jump up’; insult; and result (Late Middle English) originally meaning ‘to jump back’. Salacious (mid 17th century) ‘undue interest in sexual matters’ is based on Latin salax, from salire. Its basic sense is ‘fond of leaping’, but as the word was used of stud animals it came to mean ‘lustful’. From the French form of salire come to sally out (mid 16th century) and sauté (early 19th century).