Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun sexology A person who is attracted primarily to
mature adults
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
teleio- + -phile
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Examples
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john commented on the word teleiophile
“Daniel Bergner, 48, the divorced father of two teenage children, is what sexologists would call a straight, vanilla teleiophile. He is attracted to adults, that is, prefers the opposite sex and doesn’t shop for lovemaking accessories — clothespins, clamps, carabiners, rubber gloves — at Home Depot.�?
The New York Times, Surveying the Outer Reaches of Lust, by Charles McGrath, January 23, 2009
January 25, 2009
rolig commented on the word teleiophile
Does the NYT say anything about the origins of the this word? What does the element teleio- mean, for example?
January 25, 2009
vanishedone commented on the word teleiophile
According to Wikipedia, 'full-grown'.
January 25, 2009
bilby commented on the word teleiophile
I'm distressed by this pejorative/dismissive use of vanilla.
January 25, 2009
john commented on the word teleiophile
NYT doesn't say anything, but Wikipedia says “Teleiophilia (from Greek teleios, ‘full grown’) is a term coined by sexologist Ray Blanchard to refer to the sexual interest in adults.�?
January 25, 2009
rolig commented on the word teleiophile
Thanks, VO and John!
Bilby, the word vanilla has a long history (in the gay community at least) of describing "plain" (i.e. non-kinky) sex. If your point was that vanilla sex can often be wonderful and so should not be disparaged, I agree.
January 25, 2009
bilby commented on the word teleiophile
I suppose this comment should be on vanilla but I'll just put a pointer over to here. I wasn't aware of any sexual connotation whatsoever. I once lived with a dude in Xxxxxxx - he wasn't my flatmate, I was his! - who cured vanilla pods. It was one of his various moneymaking schemes. He said it was lucrative enough but it was difficult to get decent quality pods from farmers, i.e. ones that are properly mature yet not split. In the mornings I'd wake up to the heady aroma of the vanilla pods being sun dried in the lawn. If I was around in the afternoons I'd help to collect them and bring them inside, inhaling deeply all the way :-) I know the amount of care that goes into producing quality vanilla and I can never think of it as 'plain' or 'straightforward'. It's the very aroma of exotica, an aphrodisiac crafted of both jungle and labour.
January 25, 2009
reesetee commented on the word teleiophile
I too know of the history that rolig refers to, but I've never really viewed the word as having a pejorative connotation--more like "simple" than "boring."
January 26, 2009