homosexual

[hoh-muh-sek-shoo-uh l or, esp. British, -seks-yoo-] /ˌhoʊ məˈsɛk ʃu əl or, esp. British, -ˈsɛks yu-/
adjective
1.
Older Use: Sometimes Disparaging. sexually attracted to members of one's own sex:
homosexual students.
2.
Older Use: Sometimes Disparaging. of or pertaining to sexual desire or behavior directed toward members of one's own sex:
the homosexual subculture.
3.
Archaic. of, pertaining to, or noting the same sex:
pregnant with homosexual twins.
noun
4.
Older Use: Sometimes Disparaging. a homosexual person.
Origin
1890-95; homo- + sexual
Related forms
antihomosexual, adjective
Usage note
Up until 1986, homosexuality was listed in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), psychiatry's standard reference on the classification of mental illness. People aware of this former categorization may feel that the term homosexual stills carries a negative connotation. And some feel that this word places undue emphasis on sexual activity, or that it sounds overly clinical. In fact, homosexual as an adjective and noun is somewhat dated, except in medical and other formal contexts; the term gay has mostly replaced it. People who still use homosexual are usually unaware that the term may be a sensitive one, although some do use it with intent to cause offense. However, not all members of the gay community object to it. See also gay.
British Dictionary definitions for homosexual

homosexual

/ˌhəʊməʊˈsɛksjʊəl; ˌhɒm-/
noun
1.
a person who is sexually attracted to members of the same sex
adjective
2.
of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality
3.
of or relating to the same sex
Compare heterosexual
Word Origin and History for homosexual
adj.

1892, in C.G. Chaddock's translation of Krafft-Ebing's "Psychopathia Sexualis," from German homosexual, homosexuale (by 1880, in Gustav Jäger), from homo-, comb. form of Greek homos "same" (see homo- (1)) + Latin-based sexual.

"Homosexual" is a barbarously hybrid word, and I claim no responsibility for it. It is, however, convenient, and now widely used. "Homogenic" has been suggested as a substitute. [H. Havelock Ellis, "Studies in Psychology," 1897]
Sexual inversion (1883) was an earlier clinical term for it in English. The noun is recorded by 1895. In technical use, either male or female; but in non-technical use almost always male. Slang shortened form homo first attested 1929.

homosexual in Medicine

homosexual ho·mo·sex·u·al (hō'mə-sěk'shōō-əl, -mō-)
adj.
Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex. n.
A homosexual person; a gay man or a lesbian.