Definition

Adjective: 1. Feeling great sexual desire; lustful: Describes a state of being intensely aroused or driven by sexual appetite. This is an archaic or literary term. Example: The poet described the god's ruttish pursuit of the nymph.

Usage Notes

• Register: This word is considered archaic and is primarily found in older literary texts, poetic language, or used for deliberate stylistic effect. It is not common in modern everyday speech.
• Connotation: It carries a strong, often animalistic connotation of raw sexual desire. It can imply a lack of control or refinement associated with the desire.
• Typical Contexts: Used to describe characters in literature, mythology, or historical narratives. It is more likely to modify nouns like "behavior," "passions," "desire," or "state."

Examples

• The lord's ruttish advances made the courtiers uncomfortable.
• In the forest, the ruttish stag could think of nothing but finding a mate.
• The novel depicted the king's ruttish decline into debauchery.

Advanced Usage

• In a metaphorical or extended sense: While primarily about sexual desire, it can be used metaphorically to describe an intense, consuming craving for something.

Variants and Related Words

• Rut (noun): 1. A period of sexual excitement in male deer. 2. A deep track worn by the passage of vehicles. 3. A fixed and usually boring routine.
• Ruttishness (noun): The state or quality of being ruttish.

Synonyms

• Lustful
• Lecherous
• Libidinous
• Salacious
• Horny (modern, informal, and much more common)

Antonyms

• Chaste
• Celibate
• Asexual
• Platonic

Word Origin

Derived from the noun "rut" (referring to the periodic sexual excitement of certain mammals like deer) combined with the suffix "-ish", meaning "having the qualities of." It literally means "in a state like an animal in rut."

Adjective

1. feeling great sexual desire
   • feeling horny