buggery

American

[buhg-uh-ree, boog-] / ˈbʌg ə ri, ˈbʊg- /

noun

Often Vulgar.

sodomy.

buggery British

/ ˈbʌɡərɪ /

noun

anal intercourse between a man and another man, a woman, or an animal Compare sodomy

"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

Etymology

Origin of buggery

1300–50; Middle English bugerie heresy; see bugger ¹, -y ³

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.

Colonial-era "buggery" laws banning gay sex were overturned in parts of the Caribbean but still exist in some countries including Jamaica and Barbados.

From Reuters • Sep. 26, 2022

The 1995 Act has its roots in British colonial-era legislation that forbids "buggery" and "indecency" and hopes are now high that the ruling will pave the way for similar moves in neighbouring islands.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2022

The current law only covers nine former offences included on a specified list, largely focused on the repealed offences of buggery and gross indecency between men.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2022

There's a great deal of sugar-coated hum- buggery about this thing we call love.

From Brann the Iconoclast — Volume 12 by Brann, William Cowper

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023