What Does Platonic Mean?

Plato's impact on Western culture was certainly very deep, such that many ideas are connected by being termed as 'platonic' or Platonist, as they accept or use a few assumptions of Platonism, but which does not mean that they accept the philosophy as a holistic concept.  

The most commonly used concept that is described as being 'platonic' is that of platonic love. Platonic love describes that relationship between two people which involves affection but does not involve any kind of sexual relationship. It is generally a relationship wherein on would assume there to be a sexual element, but that is not the case. The simplest and most commonly found instance of a platonic relationship is that wherein there is an intimate, non-sexual friendship between two people of opposite sexes, both of which are heterosexual.