fornicate
1 Americanverb (used without object)
adjective
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fornicatesimple
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fornicatessimple
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have fornicatedperfect
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has fornicatedperfect
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am fornicatingprogressive
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are fornicatingprogressive
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is fornicatingprogressive
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have been fornicatingperfect progressive
-
has been fornicatingperfect progressive
Past
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fornicatedsimple
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had fornicatedperfect
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was fornicatingprogressive
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were fornicatingprogressive
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had been fornicatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fornicate1
First recorded in 1545–55; from Late Latin fornicātus “consorted,” past participle of fornicārī “to consort with prostitutes,” from Latin fornix “basement, brothel,” also “arch, vault”; cf. fornicate 2
Origin of fornicate2
First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin fornicātus, from fornix “arch, vault,” also “basement, brothel”; cf. fornicate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To "gronk out," for example, means to go to sleep; to "frobnicate" or "frob" means to fiddle with the controls of a computer.
From Time Magazine Archive
The command is actually `frobnicate' but is universally abbreviated to the shorter form. :frobnicate: /frob'ni-kayt/ /vt./
From The Jargon File, Version 4.0.0, 24 Jul 1996 by Raymond, Eric S.
See frobnicate and fudge factor; also see shotgun debugging.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.
The command is actually `frobnicate' but is universally abbreviated to the shorter form. :frobnicate: /frob'ni-kayt/ vt.
From The Jargon File, Version 2.9.10, 01 Jul 1992 by Raymond, Eric S.
Twiddling a switch or knobs implies much less sense of purpose than toggling or tweaking it; see frobnicate.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
