How logical--first the act, then the disease. Ich verstehe. Joel At 1/11/2006 05:45 AM, you wrote: >The first definition in my SOED for 'venereal' gives: > >'Of or pertaining to, associated or connected with sexual desire or >intercourse.' > >Infection only makes its appearance at definition 2. Possibly also the case >in French dictionaries! > >--Neil Crawford