Etymology

yaoi

yao·i
Y4A1O1I1

Today it means: A narrative or visual work featuring a romantic or sexual relationship between two or more men. Full definition →

Japanese 矢追
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yaoi · noun1

Borrowed from Japanese やおい (yaoi), an acronym of 山(やま)無(な)し (yama nashi, “no climax”), 落(お)ち無(な)し (ochi nashi, “no point”), and 意味(いみ)無(な)し (imi nashi, “no meaning”), originally mocking those who criticised early yaoi works for being too focused on sex scenes instead of storylines.

Yaoi · proper noun2

  1. Japanese · borrowed from矢追
  2. English todayYaoi

From Japanese 矢追 (Yaoi).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.