fornication
[ fawr-ni-key-shuh n ]
/ ˌfɔr nɪˈkeɪ ʃən /
noun
voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or two persons not married to each other.
Bible. idolatry.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
fornacis, fornax, fornenst, forney, fornicate, fornication, fornicator, fornicatory, fornicatrix, forniciform, fornix
Origin of fornication
1300–50; Middle English fornicacioun < Late Latin fornicātiōn- (stem of fornicātiō). See fornicate1, -ion
Related formsfor·ni·ca·to·ry [fawr-ni-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈfɔr nɪ kəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjective
Can be confusedformication fornication
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for fornication
British Dictionary definitions for fornication
fornication
/ (ˌfɔːnɪˈkeɪʃən) /
noun
voluntary sexual intercourse outside marriage
law voluntary sexual intercourse between two persons of the opposite sex, where one is or both are unmarried
Bible sexual immorality in general, esp adultery
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for fornication
fornication
c.1300, from Old French fornicacion (12c.), from Late Latin fornicationem (nominative fornicatio), noun of action from past participle stem of fornicari "fornicate," from Latin fornix (genitive fornicis) "brothel" (Juvenal, Horace), originally "arch, vaulted chamber" (Roman prostitutes commonly solicited from under the arches of certain buildings), from fornus "oven of arched or domed shape." Strictly, "voluntary sex between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman;" extended in the Bible to adultery.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for fornication
fornication
[ fôr′nĭ-kā′shən ]
n.
Sexual intercourse between partners who are not married to each other.
Related formsfor′ni•cate′ v.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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