# necrophilia

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌnɛkɹə(ʊ)ˈfɪlɪə/ · frequency rank #75,232

## Definitions
1. A pathological attraction to dead bodies.
2. Sexual activity with corpses.
3. A pathological fascination with death.

## Etymology
From necro- (Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, “corpse, dead”)) + -philia (Ancient Greek φιλία (philía, “affection”)), after German Nekrophilie (in Krafft-Ebing 1887).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/necrophilia