Uranian
/jʊˈreɪniən/noun
Relating to the planet Uranus or, historically, to a male homosexual or same-sex love.
Did you know?In 1864, German writer Karl Heinrich Ulrichs used Uranian for men attracted to men, drawing on Plato’s distinction between Aphrodite Urania—the heavenly—and Aphrodite Pandemos—the earthly.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European, uncertain
PIE
*wers-
“A disputed proposed root associated with rain or moisture”
Ancient Greek
Greek
οὐρανός (ouranos)
“Sky or heaven; later personified as the primordial sky god”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Οὐρανία (Ourania)
“Heavenly; an epithet of Aphrodite in Plato’s discussion of elevated, nonphysical love”
1781
English/Latin
Uranus
“The name given to the planet discovered by William Herschel, taken from the Greek sky god”
19th Century
English
Uranian
“Relating to Uranus; later used in sexological writing for male same-sex desire”
Modern English
English
Uranian
“Connected with Uranus, or used historically for a male homosexual or same-sex love”