venereal

Etymology

From Middle English venereal, venerealle (“of or relating to sexual intercourse”), from Latin venereus, venerius (“of or relating to sexual love”), from Venus (“Roman goddess of love”) (from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to love”)) + -eus, -ius (suffix forming adjectives from nouns).

adj

1. Of or relating to the genitals or sexual intercourse.
   [B]ecauſe ſuch hot temperaments are prone to Venerie, hence the Poets feigned, that Mars lay with Venus; and withall to ſhew, how much ſouldiers are given to Venereall luſts; … 1648, Alexander Ross, chapter XI, in Mystagogvs Poeticvs, or The Muses Interpreter: Explaining the Historicall Mysteries, and Mysticall Histories of the Ancient Greek and Latine Poets.[…], 2nd edition, London: Printed by T. W. for Thomas Whitaker[…], →OCLC, page 258
2. Of a disease: sexually transmitted; of or relating to, or adapted to the cure of, a venereal disease.
   a venereal medicine
   … Who can imagine that in a venereall ulcer, wherein there is corruption of the bone, there ſhould be two ſorts of ulcers ſpecifically differing? to wit, one in the fleſhy part, and another in the bone, the ſame humor cauſing both. 1650, Alexander Read, “[A Treatise of Ulcers. The Second Treatise.] Lect[ure] III. Of the Generall Differences and Signes of Ulcers.”, in The Workes of that Famous Physitian Dr. Alexander Read,[…], 2nd edition, London: Printed by E. G. for Richard Thrale, and are to be sold by Iohn Clarke[…], →OCLC, page 88
   Venereal diseases were responsible for four deaths and 141 final invalidings, … 20 December 1913, “Health of the British Navy”, in The North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette: The Weekly Edition of the North-China Daily News, volume CIX (New Series), number 2419, Shanghai: Printed and published at the offices of the North-China Daily News & Herald, Ld., →OCLC, page 924, column 2
   [I]t must be recognized that there are two distinct and separate phases of venereal disease education: (1) the imparting to the individual of adequate technical knowledge of the venereal diseases and their prevention, and (2) the motivation of the individual with the will to avoid either illicit sexual intercourse or unprotected sexual exposure. 1944 November, Thomas H. Sternberg, Granville W. Larimore, “Army Contributions to Postwar Venereal Disease Control Planning”, in Venereal Disease Control: Proceedings, National Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, November 1944 (Journal of Venereal Disease Information; supplement no. 20), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Public Health Service, Federal Security Agency; United States Government Printing Office, published 1945, →OCLC, page 23
   Within a fortnight of their arrival 'a startling outburst' of venereal disease occurred among the troops. Over the next four months more than 2000 Australian soldiers were infected. 2008, Peter Rees, “The Prelude”, in The Other Anzacs: Nurses at War 1914–1918, Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin; The Other Anzacs: The Extraordinary Story of Our World War I Nurses, paperback edition, Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin, 2009, page 27
3. (astrology, obsolete) Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Venus; lascivious, lustful.
4. (chemistry, obsolete) Of or relating to copper (formerly called Venus by alchemists).
   When after their beaſtly ſport and pleaſure Mounſieur Libid[inoſo] heat of luſt was ſomewhat aſſwaged, and ready to goe, féeling his pocket for a venereall remuneration [i.e., a copper coin] finds nothing but a Teſter, or at leaſt ſo little, that it was not ſufficient to pleaſe dame Pleaſure for her hire. … My Ladie would not beléeue Monſ. Libid. a great while, but ſearched and féeled for more coine, … 1602, S[amuel] R[owlands], “How a Citizen was Serued by a Curtizan”, in Greenes Ghost Havnting Conie-catchers.[…], London: Printed [by Peter Short?] for R[oger] Iackson, and I. North,[…], →OCLC; republished in The Complete Works of Samuel Rowlands: 1598–1628: Now First Collected, volume I, [Glasgow]: Printed [by R. Anderson] for the Hunterian Club, 1880, →OCLC, page 42