Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Pornography \Por*nog"ra*phy\, n. [Gr. ? a harlot + -graphy.]
Licentious painting or literature; especially, the painting anciently employed to decorate the walls of rooms devoted to bacchanalian orgies.
(Med.) A treatise on prostitutes, or prostitution.
obscene pictures, writings, drawings, motion pictures, videos, or the like intended primarily to cause sexual arousal and having little or no artistic merit; also, the content of such materials.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1843, "ancient obscene painting, especially in temples of Bacchus," from French pornographie, from Greek pornographos "(one) depicting prostitutes," from porne "prostitute," originally "bought, purchased" (with an original notion, probably of "female slave sold for prostitution"), related to pernanai "to sell," from PIE root *per- (5) "to traffic in, to sell" (see price (n.)) + graphein "to write" (see -graphy). A brothel in ancient Greek was a porneion.\n\nPornography, or obscene painting, which in the time of the Romans was practiced with the grossest license, prevailed especially at no particular period in Greece, but was apparently tolerated to a considerable extent at all times. Parrhasius, Aristides, Pausanias, Nicophanes, Chaerephanes, Arellius, and a few other [pornographoi] are mentioned as having made themselves notorious for this species of license.
[Charles Anthon, "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities," New York, 1843]
\nIn reference to modern works by 1859 (originally French novels), later as a charge against native literature; sense of "obscene pictures" in modern times is from 1906. Also sometimes used late 19c. for "description of prostitutes" as a matter of public hygiene. The "Medical Archives" in 1873 proposed porniatria for "the lengthy and really meaningless expression 'social evil hospital' ...."\n \nI shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description [hard-core pornography]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.[U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, concurring opinion, "Jacobellis v. Ohio," 1964]
\nIn ancient contexts, often paired with rhypography, "genre painting of low, sordid, or unsuitable subjects." Pornocracy (1860) is "the dominating influence of harlots," used specifically of the government of Rome during the first half of the 10th century by Theodora and her daughters. Pornotopia (1966) was coined to describe the ideal erotic-world of pornographic movies.Wiktionary
n. 1 The explicit depiction of sexual subject matter; a display of material of an erotic nature. (from the mid-19th c.) 2 (context usually humorous English) The graphic, detailed, often gratuitous depiction of something.
WordNet
Wikipedia
Pornography is the fourth studio album by English rock band the Cure, released on 4 May 1982 by the record label Fiction. Preceded by the non-album single " Charlotte Sometimes" late the previous year, Pornography was the band's first album with a new producer, Phil Thornalley, and was recorded at RAK Studios from January to April. The sessions saw the group on the brink of collapse, with heavy drug use, band in-fighting and group leader Robert Smith's depression fuelling the album's musical and lyrical content. Pornography represents the conclusion of the group's early dark, gloomy musical phase which began with Seventeen Seconds in 1980.
Following its release, bass guitarist Simon Gallup left the band and the Cure switched to a much brighter and more radio-friendly new wave sound. While poorly received by critics at the time of release, Pornography was their most popular album to date, reaching No. 8 in the UK charts. Pornography has since gone on to gain acclaim from critics, and is now considered an important milestone in the development of the gothic rock genre. The band has performed the album live in its entirety as part of the Trilogy concerts.
Pornography is the representation of the human body form or human sexual behavior
"Pornography" is a song by the English electronic group Client, released as the third single from their second studio album, City (2004). The track features guest vocals by Carl Barât, who also appears in the video. It peaked at number twenty-two on the UK Singles Chart, the band's highest-peaking single to date.
Pornography is an American punk rock band, from New York, featuring Make Out vocalist Leah Hennessey, singer-songwriter Ryan Adams and drummer Johnny T. Yerington.
The band released its debut EP, 7 Minutes in Heaven, on April 21, 2013 on Adams' label, PAX AM.
Pornography (often abbreviated as "porn" or "porno" in informal usage) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose of sexual arousal. Pornography may be presented in a variety of media, including books, magazines, postcards, photographs, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video, and video games. The term applies to the depiction of the act rather than the act itself, and so does not include live exhibitions like sex shows and striptease. The primary subjects of pornographic depictions are pornographic models, who pose for still photographs, and pornographic actors or porn stars, who perform in pornographic films. If dramatic skills are not involved, a performer in a porn film may also be called a model.
Various groups within society have considered depictions of a sexual nature immoral, addictive, and noxious, labeling them pornographic, and attempting to have them suppressed under obscenity and other laws, with varying degrees of success. Such works have also often been subject to censorship and other legal restraints to publication, display, or possession. Such grounds, and even the definition of pornography, have differed in various historical, cultural, and national contexts.
Social attitudes towards the discussion and presentation of sexuality have become more tolerant and legal definitions of obscenity have become more limited, notably beginning in 1969 with Blue Movie by Andy Warhol, the first adult erotic film depicting explicit sex to receive wide theatrical release in the United States, and the subsequent Golden Age of Porn, leading to an industry for the production and consumption of pornography in the latter half of the 20th century. The introduction of home video and the Internet saw a boom in the worldwide porn industry that generates billions of dollars annually. Commercialized pornography accounts for over US$2.5 billion in the United States alone, including the production of various media and associated products and services. This industry employs thousands of performers along with support and production staff. It is also followed by dedicated industry publications and trade groups as well as the mainstream press, private organizations ( watchdog groups), government agencies, and political organizations. More recently, sites such as Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn have served as repositories for home-made or semi-professional pornography, made available free by its creators (who could be called exhibitionists). It has presented a significant challenge to the commercial pornographic film industry.
Irrespective of the legal or social view of pornography, it has been used in a number of contexts. It is used, for example, at fertility clinics to stimulate sperm donors. Some couples use pornography at times for variety and to create a sexual interest or as part of foreplay. There is also some evidence that pornography can be used to treat voyeurism.
Usage examples of "pornography".
The one of her and Aley holding hands on the beach was beyond pornography.
Yet this ambivalence is not unique to cross-dressing, for when it comes to dealing with their sexuality people seem to want either therapy, catharsis, or pornography.
Some millenarian language achieves a kind of pornography of hatred in its description of the fate of the damned, especially those from nations hostile to the United States.
We talked about how Clive had fallen into the pornography business through the Pietra Forte-the so-called Latin-American Connection.
It took one police-officer almost a fortnight to watch the pornographic tapes that West himself admitted that he kept in Cromwell Street, ranging as they did from commercial pornography to home videos made by West himself.
It produced a vast amount of solemn pornography, facetious pornography, sadistic incitement, re-sexualized religiosity and verbal gibbering in which the rich effectiveness of obscene words was abundantly exploited.
There were nearly a hundred of them in the Bazaar, trading in everything from scandium fuel catalyst to Kalleyni pornography, and lots more were doing business in bars of public corridors.
She told me to tell you that she always said writing that trashy pornography would get you in trouble some day.
Yes: George was already on a pornography trip, very similar to Atlanta Hope and Smiling Jim Treponema, except that in his case it was egodystonic.
One day I used itin a story about the legalities of amoeboid pornography.
Each night, as he entered the Borgesian metropolis of electronic pornography with its infinities, its immortalities Clint was, in a sense, travelling towards women.
By: Kim Isaac Eisler Category: nonfiction biography Synopsis: A biography of one of the greatest Supreme Court Justices of this century explores his role in landmark decisions on pornography, libel, desegregation, search and seizure, and legislative redistricting.
She took a little time, sipping Evian water and thinking cool thoughts, before turning her attention to the next document: an order form to a Danish importer of violent pornography.
A new century got under way, and despite the efforts of certain parties, it continued to witness unchecked the sins of godlessness, blasphemy, fornication, homosexuality, miscegenation, pornography and cheesy B-movies.
Nadsat, a Russified version of English, was meant to muffle the raw response we expect from pornography.