prurient
pru·ri·ent/ˈpɹʊɹ.i.ənt/adjective
prurient is spelled P-R-U-R-I-E-N-T: 8 letters and 3 syllables (pru·ri·ent). It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, prurient means “Uneasy with desire; itching; especially, having a lascivious anxiety or propensity; lustful” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in prurient?
| Letters | 8: P-R-U-R-I-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: pru·ri·ent |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 77,666th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is prurient?
Prurient appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce prurient?
- UK /ˈpɹʊəɹ.i.ənt/
- US /ˈpɹʊɹ.i.ənt/
Prurient has 3 syllables, split pru·ri·ent in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-prurient.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of prurient
- more prurient comparative
- most prurient superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prurient mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Uneasy with desire; itching; especially, having a lascivious anxiety or propensity; lustful.
- 2
Arousing or appealing to sexual desire.
- 3
Curious, especially inappropriately so.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prurient in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | lüstern, lasziv |
| Portuguese | lascivo, libidinoso, indecente, promíscuo |
| Spanish | lascivo, lúbrico, salaz |
| French | lubrique |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does prurient come from?
Learned borrowing from Latin prūriēns, present participle of prūriō (“itch”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).