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Adultery
Definitions
- 1 Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more synonyms at Thesaurus:cuckoldry countable, uncountable
"She engaged in adultery because her spouse has a low libido, while hers is very high."
- 2 extramarital sex that willfully and maliciously interferes with marriage relations wordnet
- 3 Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the sixth/seventh commandment; sinful sexual behavior as a category. broadly, countable, uncountable
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."
- 4 Faithlessness in religion. countable, uncountable
"And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks."
- 5 The fine and penalty formerly imposed for the offence of adultery. countable, obsolete, uncountable
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- 6 The intrusion of a person into a bishopric during the life of the bishop. countable, uncountable
- 7 Adulteration; corruption. countable, uncountable
- 8 Injury; degradation; ruin. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"[…] you might wrest the Caduceus out of my hand, to the adultery and spoil of Nature […]"
Etymology
With change of suffix, from the Old French adultere (“violation of conjugal faith”) (in Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons, 12c.), a learnèd borrowing from Latin adulterium, from adulterō. Replaced the older form avoutrie, from the inherited Old French forms avouterie or aoulterie, while keeping its suffix. Compare French adultère (“adultery”). Displaced Old English ǣwbryċe. Not related to adult.
See also for "adultery"
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Unscramble this word: adultery