娈童的本义是美少年，「娈」是容貌美好的意思。在史书里往往特指提供男性显贵性服务的年轻貌美男子，并成为男同性恋文化的概念之一。

纪晓岚《阅微草堂笔记》中称“杂说娈童始黄帝”的男童或少年，梁简文帝有《娈童》诗：“娈童娇丽质，践童复超瑕。羽帐晨香满，珠帘夕漏赊；翠被含鸳色，雕床镂象牙。妙年同小史，姝貌比朝霞。”《北史·齐本纪·废帝纪》里，国子助教许散愁自称：“散愁自少以来，不登娈童之床，不入季女之室，服膺简策，不知老之将至。”

明朝淫狎娈童的风气转盛。明武宗南幸至杨文襄家，有歌童侍焉，帝问其名，歌童回答说是杨芝；帝赐名曰“羊脂玉”，命从驾北上。臧晋叔因与红衣娈童相狎而被罢官，张岱《西湖七月半》描写当时的社会风气“亦船亦楼，名娃闺秀，携及童娈，笑啼杂之，环坐露台，左右盼望，身在月下而实不看月者”。李渔《肉蒲团》内记家童书笥、剑鞘，「两个人物都一样妖姣，姿色都与标致妇人一般。」沈德符认为晚明的同性恋风气是“盛于江南而渐染至中原”。是以明人多称男风为「南风」，有时亦称男妓卖淫场所为「南院」。

In its modern usage the term catamite refers to a boy as the passive or receiving partner in anal intercourse with a man.

In its ancient usage a catamite (Latin catamitus) was a pubescent boy who was the intimate companion of a young man in ancient Greece and Rome, usually in a pederastic relationship. It was usually a term of affection and literally means "Ganymede" in Latin. It was also used as a term of insult when directed toward a grown man. The word derives from the proper noun Catamitus, the Latinized form of Ganymede, the beautiful Trojan youth abducted by Zeus to be his companion and cupbearer. The Etruscan form of the name was Catmite, from an alternate Greek form of the name, Gadymedes.