Short for heterosexual; sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex.
From Greek 'hetero-' (different, other) combined with 'sexual.' The term became commonly used in the mid-20th century as sexual orientation terminology became more scientific and clinical.
The prefix 'hetero-' means different, so technically 'heterosexual' just means 'attracted to different [sex],' while 'homo-' means same—both are neutral scientific terms, not judgments!
The prefix 'hetero-' (opposite/different) became the linguistic default for 'normal' sexuality, encoding heterosexuality as baseline and homosexuality as deviation. Language structure reflects historical pathologization.
Use 'heterosexual' in full, clinical form when needed. Default to 'sexual orientation' + specific descriptor instead of using prefixed shorthand that implies hierarchies.
["heterosexual","same-gender-attracted","gender-attracted"]
LGBTQ+ scholars recovered non-pathological language; 'hetero' as shorthand still carries the binary hierarchy baked into 20th-century sexology.
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