Dictionary.com

fornicate

1
[ fawr-ni-keyt ]
/ ˈfɔr nɪˌkeɪt /
Save This Word!

verb (used without object), for·ni·cat·ed, for·ni·cat·ing.
to commit fornication.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of fornicate

1
1545–55; <Late Latin fornicātus (past participle of fornicārī to consort with prostitutes), equivalent to Latin fornic- (stem of fornix) arch, vault, basement, brothel + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM fornicate

for·ni·ca·tor, noun

Other definitions for fornicate (2 of 2)

fornicate2
[ fawr-ni-kit, -keyt ]
/ ˈfɔr nɪ kɪt, -ˌkeɪt /

adjective Biology.
arched or vaulted in form.
Also for·ni·cat·ed [fawr-ni-key-tid] /ˈfɔr nɪˌkeɪ tɪd/ .

Origin of fornicate

2
1820–30; <Latin fornicātus, equivalent to fornic- (see fornicate1) + -ātus-ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fornicate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fornicate (1 of 2)

fornicate1
/ (ˈfɔːnɪˌkeɪt) /

verb
(intr) to indulge in or commit fornication

Derived forms of fornicate

fornicator, noun

Word Origin for fornicate

C16: from Late Latin fornicārī, from Latin fornix vault, brothel situated therein

British Dictionary definitions for fornicate (2 of 2)

fornicate2

fornicated

/ (ˈfɔːnɪkɪt, -ˌkeɪt) /

adjective
biology arched or hoodlike in form

Word Origin for fornicate

C19: from Latin fornicātus arched, from fornix vault
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
FEEDBACK