pedophilia

Definition

Sexual attraction by adults and adolescents to children, specifically prepubescent children.

Etymology

Adapted from German Pädophilie, bringing its spelling into conformity with pedo- (“child”) + -philia. Compare the Byzantine Greek παιδοφιλία (paidophilía, “love of children”).

Example Sentences

• "As noted earlier, pedophilia was cited as both an aggravating and a mitigating circumstance by trial judges, as was the absence of pedophilia."
• "Sometimes a man with pedophilia is content to stroke the child's hair, but he may also manipulate the child's genitalia, [...]"
• "Fifteen months later, a committee of the congregation found that he had sexually abused several boys within the congregation. […] The fact that Alger committed pedophilia at the age of thirty-four casts a shadow over his subsequent yearning for relationships with boys and young men, but there is no evidence of any later misconduct."

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