About Heart Lexicon

• 534entries
• 10topics
• 208entries cite sources
• 0/143health entries clinician-reviewed

Editorial policy

• Encyclopedia voice. Entries explain what a word means and how people use it. They are inclusive and sex-positive, and never explicit: no graphic descriptions, no erotic writing, no images of people.
• Our own words. Every definition is written by our editors. We read widely, including public-health bodies and research, but we do not copy other dictionaries or encyclopedias.
• Sources for health. Every entry in Body & health, Contraception and STIs cites at least one reputable source such as the WHO, CDC, NHS or Planned Parenthood, or peer-reviewed research. Other entries cite sources where it helps.
• No individual advice. We explain concepts. We cannot tell you what is right for your body, your health or your relationship. For that, talk to a clinician, pharmacist, counsellor or support service.
• Labels are personal. Identity words are described as people use them about themselves. When someone tells you their label, theirs is the definition that matters.
• Adult topics. Kink & BDSM entries are factual, stress consent and safety, and sit behind a light 18+ notice.
• Offensive words. Slurs are left out. Where a word can be stigmatising or excluding (for example "clean" as an STI status) the entry is labelled and explains why.

Review status

534 entries across 10 categories. 208 entries cite sources. 143 entries are health entries; 0 of them have been reviewed by a clinician so far, so health entries carry a "not yet reviewed by a clinician" notice until they are. Every entry shows the date it was last reviewed by an editor.

Your privacy

Heart Lexicon has no accounts and no adverts, and it never asks for your name or email address. Your theme choice and the 18+ notice are remembered only in your own browser.

Visit statistics

To learn which entries are useful and which words are missing, we use Matomo, an analytics tool that runs on our own server in Germany (EU). The data is not sold and is not shared with advertisers or other companies.

Statistics run only if you choose Accept statistics in the banner. Until then, and if you choose Reject, Matomo is not loaded at all: no cookies are set and nothing about your visit is sent to it. You can change your choice at any time under Cookie settings at the bottom of every page; your choice itself is kept only in your browser.

For each visit Matomo records:

• the pages you view, how long you stay and how far you scroll;
• the words you search for on this site;
• links you follow to other websites and files you download;
• the website or search engine that sent you here;
• your IP address and what can be looked up from it: approximate location (country, region and city) and internet provider;
• your browser, operating system, device type, screen size and language;
• page load times and technical errors in the page.

We never ask who you are, so these records are not linked to your name or email address. Location is looked up on our own server from a downloaded database; your IP address is not sent to anyone else.

Cookies

Matomo sets first-party cookies on this site only: _pk_id recognises a returning browser (13 months), _pk_ses groups page views into one visit (30 minutes) and _pk_ref remembers which website sent you here (6 months). They are set only after you accept statistics and are used for nothing else. Choosing Reject under Cookie settings deletes them; every page works the same without them.

Corrections

Language about sex and identity changes quickly, and communities disagree about some words. If an entry is wrong, out of date or unkind, please tell us through the contact channel of the site that linked you here. We review every correction and update the entry's review date.

If you need help now

If you are in danger, call your local emergency number. For sexual assault, abuse or a sexual health worry, a local rape crisis centre, domestic abuse helpline or sexual health clinic can help confidentially.