What does coprophiliac mean?
A coprophiliac is a person who experiences sexual attraction to or arousal from feces, a condition known clinically as coprophilia. Classified among the paraphilias, it appears almost exclusively in psychiatric, psychological, and sexological literature rather than ordinary conversation, and the term carries heavy social taboo. It derives from the Greek roots 'kopros' (dung) and 'philia' (fondness or love), so the word literally means a 'lover of dung'. Related coinages include coprophagy (the eating of feces), coprolite (fossilized dung), and coprology, all sharing the same root. Because the behavior can cause distress or impairment when persistent, clinicians treat coprophilia as a potential paraphilic disorder, and therapy typically focuses on reducing associated compulsions rather than moral condemnation. Outside clinical contexts the word occasionally appears in figurative criticism of art, film, or humor deemed obsessed with excrement, though such usage is loose and informal. Understanding the word chiefly matters for readers of medical or academic writing on human sexuality.
nounA person who has coprophilia, a sexual attraction to or arousal involving feces.
- A person who experiences sexual arousal from or attraction to feces.
- (Loosely, informal or humorous use) someone with an excessive interest in nonsense or excrement-related material.
"The psychiatrist explained that a coprophiliac may require long-term therapeutic support rather than moral judgment."
"In his case study of paraphilias, the clinician described a 34-year-old male coprophiliac whose urges had caused significant distress."
"Critics dismissed the film's fixation on bodily waste as the work of a self-indulgent coprophiliac sensibility."
Regular English plural; the word is countable when referring to multiple individuals.
"Clinical literature rarely reports statistics on coprophiliacs because cases are seldom disclosed."
The word joins two ancient Greek roots — 'kopros' (dung) and 'philia' (love) — making it literally a 'lover of dung' in one of medicine's most clinical euphemisms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coprophiliac
'Coprophiliac' combines the Greek noun 'kopros', meaning dung or excrement, with 'philia', meaning fondness or love, via the modern Latin-style compound 'coprophilia' coined within late 19th- and early 20th-century European sexology and psychiatry. As psychoanalytic and clinical taxonomies of sexuality developed, '-philiac' became a standard agentive suffix for individuals exhibiting such attractions. Cognate formations using the same 'kopros' root include coprophagy, coprolite, and coprology, which entered English through scientific Latin and Greek borrowings during the same period of medical vocabulary expansion.
Related word forms
How coprophiliac is actually used
Highly specialized term used mainly in clinical psychology, psychiatry, and sexology; rare in everyday speech. Carries strong taboo connotations and should be handled sensitively. The adjective form 'coprophilic' describes the condition itself, while 'coprophiliac' typically denotes the person. Informal figurative uses (e.g., describing art or humor fixated on excrement) are attested but non-standard.
Easily confused with coprophiliac
Coprophagia refers to the eating of feces, whereas a coprophiliac is sexually aroused by feces — related terms that describe different behaviors.
A necrophiliac is sexually attracted to corpses, not feces; the words merely share the Greek suffix '-philiac'.