curiosa means curiosities, especially erotic or pornographic books or articles. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
curiosa is pronounced /ˌkjʊə.ɹɪˈəʊ.sə/.
Why “curiosa” is a great word
CURIOSA — [Noun] A euphemistic term for rare or collectible curiosities, specifically erotic or pornographic books and articles. From Latin curiosa, neuter plural of curiosus ("careful, inquisitive, curious"). First attested in this specific sense in English in the late 19th century. Unlike "curios" (which denotes general rarities without prurient implication) or "erotica" (which claims artistic or literary intent), curiosa is the archivist's discreet cough, a taxonomic fig leaf for the forbidden. It is the locked cabinet in a gentleman's library, the foxed pages of a privately printed folio, the whispered auction listing for an 'illustrated anatomical atlas'—a testament to the civilized habit of clothing desire in the respectable wool of scholarship.
noun
- Curiosities, especially erotic or pornographic books or articles.