Dictionary

fornication en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• fôr'nĭ-kā'shən
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌfɔɹnɪˈkeɪʃən/

Etymology

From Middle English fornicacioun, from Old French fornicacion, from Latin fornicātiō, from fornix (“brothel”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Sexual intercourse by people who are not married to each other, or which is considered illicit in another way.
   • ... that he was a married man at the time is a necessary allegation, as the allegation that he was an unmarried man would have been necessary had he been charged with the crime of incest, by having committed fornication with his daughter. 1893, The Southwestern Reporter, page 840:
   • Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Galatians 5:19–21:
   • Draw not near unto fornication; for it is wickedness, and an evil way 1734, George Sale, transl., Alcoran of Mohammed, 17:32:
   • In one case, where a man was sued for committing fornication with his wife before marriage, it appeared, that seven years after her death he was cited to stand as a prisoner at their bar, though he had lived with her for nine years,[…] 1816, Cobbett's Parliamentary History of England: From the Norman Conquest, in 1066, to the Year, 1803, page 623:
   • Thus, at Roxbury, 1678, Hanna Hopkins was censured in the church for fornication with her husband before marriage and for fleeing from justice into Rhode Island. 2013, Arthur W. Calhoun, The American Family in the Colonial Period, Courier Corporation, →ISBN:
   • I am the sister of one Claudio, Condemned upon the act of fornication To lose his head, condemned by Angelo c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
   • FRIAR BARNARDINE. Thou hast committed— BARABAS. Fornication: but that was in another country; And besides, the wench is dead. c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, Act IV:
2. (colloquial, countable, uncountable) Sexual intercourse in general; sex.
   • For a moment he stared at the back of the Lascar, wondering if he were the youth that he had disturbed during fornication with his Engineer, then dismissed all thoughts of the previous night, he was getting old, and suspicious, what did it matter […] 2012, Geoffrey Kennell, The Upper Crust, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 185:

Forms

Deriveds

Californication · fornicatory

Relateds

fornicate

Translations (42)

ka სიძვა (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ru внебра́чная связь (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · id zinah (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ka მრუშობა (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · bg блудство (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · es fornicación (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · oc fornicacion (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · id fornikasi (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · nl ontucht (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ja 姦淫 (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ca fornicació (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · tl pakikiapid (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · pl rozpusta (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · aii ܙܵܢܝܘܼܬܵܐ (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · nb utukt (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ru блуд (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · fi fornikaatio (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · sv otukt (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ru распу́тство (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · bg прелюбодея́ние (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · fa زنا (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · pdt Huararie (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · de Unzucht (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ota زنا (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ak adwaman (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · mi kaikaiātara (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · tr zina (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · fi salavuoteus (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ko 간음 (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ar زِنًى (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ru прелюбодея́ние (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · fr fornication (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · pt fornicação (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · fi haureus (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · nn utukt (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ro curvie (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · da utugt (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · cmn 姦淫 /奸淫 (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · ar سِفَاح (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · cmn 通奸 (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · cmn 亂倫 /乱伦 (sexual intercourse considered illicit) · gl fornicación (sexual intercourse considered illicit)