The word 'sexy' is everywhere. We use it to describe people, of course, but also things we find exciting or stylish. It feels like a modern word, but its roots go back thousands of years to ancient Rome.

The journey starts with the Latin word sexus. Originally, sexus wasn't about attraction at all. It was a noun that simply meant 'a sex' (male or female), 'gender,' or more broadly, 'a division' or 'a section.' It was a way of categorizing things, much like the word 'section' comes from the related Latin verb secare, 'to cut' or 'to divide.'

From sexus, English got the noun 'sex' around the 14th century, referring to the state of being male or female. Over time, 'sex' also came to describe the physical act of intimacy. It wasn't until much later that the adjective form we know today came into play.

When 'sexy' first emerged, it simply meant 'preoccupied with sex' or 'bawdy.' But its meaning quickly evolved. By the mid-20th century, it had taken on its primary modern definition: being sexually interesting or stimulating. It became a word to describe a person's attractiveness and appeal.

If you look up 'sexy' in a dictionary today, you'll find this core meaning is still central. But you'll also see its definition has broadened.

This expansion shows how language adapts. A word that began as a neutral Latin term for 'division' transformed over centuries into a staple of modern English for describing everything from a person to a new car.

Ready to test your knowledge on the history of this fascinating word?