adultery

[ uh-duhl-tuh-ree ]
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noun,plural a·dul·ter·ies.
  1. voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than their lawful spouse.

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Origin of adultery

1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English adulterie, from Latin adulterium, equivalent to adulter (see adulterer) + -ium -ium; replacing Middle English a(d)voutri(e), from Old French avout(e)rie

Words Nearby adultery

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How to use adultery in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for adultery

adultery

/ (əˈdʌltərɪ) /


nounplural -teries
  1. voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man or woman and a partner other than the legal spouse

Origin of adultery

1
C15: adulterie, altered (as if directly from Latin adulterium) from C14 avoutrie, via Old French from Latin adulterium, from adulter, back formation from adulterāre. See adulterate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012