The first thing we are going to do is determine the etymological origin of the asexual term, in order to understand its meaning. In this case, we can say that it is a neologism that was shaped in the 19th century from the sum of various components of Greek and Latin origin:
-The prefix “a-“, which means “without”.
-The noun “sexus”, which can be translated as “sex”.
-The suffix “-alis”, which is used to indicate “belonging” or “quality”.
The dictionary of the DigoPaul mentioned as first meaning of the adjective asexual to one whose sex can not be determined, ambiguous or nonexistent.
It is usually spoken of asexuality, in this framework, with reference to the individual who lacks sexual interest or who is not attracted to the different forms of sexuality. The subject who does not have a sexual inclination is also classified as asexual.
An asexual person does not experience sexual attraction to either men or women. In this way, they generally do not have sexual relations, although they can access these practices for various reasons (when they want to have a child or to satisfy another person, for example). Different is the case of the human being who does have sexual desire, but represses it for religious or faith reasons (like a Catholic priest who must respect celibacy).
Among the general signs that indicate that a person is asexual are some such as these:
-He shows no interest in sex or in masturbation.
-You are nervous about the importance, interest and value that other individuals give to sex.
-You need a partner but at all times in that relationship sex is secondary.
– She is very active in social relationships and cares a lot about her friends.
In addition, it is necessary to highlight another series of interesting aspects in this regard:
-It is considered that in the world there are around 5% of the population that is asexual.
-There are four different types of asexuality: people who feel what is romantic attraction to others but do not have sexual desire; those who are not romantically or sexually attracted; individuals who have a certain sexual appetite but do not feel that aforementioned romantic attraction; those that men or women who feel both romantic attraction and sexual desire.
Another meaning of asexual mentioned by the SAR is associated with the type of reproduction that takes place without gametes (that is, sex cells).
In asexual reproduction, a single cell or body fragment is detached from a living being that is already developed so that a mitosis process takes place and thus a new individual is generated, whose genetics will be identical to that of the first specimen.
It can be said that sexual reproduction takes place with the participation of a single parent. An example of this type of reproduction is the fission that certain cellular organisms carry out: from a mother cell several daughter cells arise, which later also divide to produce more specimens.
