Origin: 1545–55; < Late Latinfornicātus (past participle of fornicārī to consort with prostitutes), equivalent to Latinfornic- (stem of fornix) arch, vault, basement, brothel + -ātus-ate1
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
1550s, from L.L. fornicatus, pp. of fornicari (see fornication). Or perhaps in some cases a back formation from fornication. Related: Fornicated; fornicating.