fornication

for·ni·ca·tion

[fawr-ni-key-shuhn]
noun
1.
voluntary sexual intercourse between two unmarried persons or two persons not married to each other.
2.
Bible. idolatry.

Origin:
1300–50; Middle English fornicacioun < Late Latin fornicātiōn- (stem of fornicātiō). See fornicate1, -ion

for·ni·ca·to·ry [fawr-ni-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] , adjective

formication, fornication.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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00:10
Fornication is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
fornication (ˌfɔːnɪˈkeɪʃən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  voluntary sexual intercourse outside marriage
2.  law voluntary sexual intercourse between two persons of the opposite sex, where one is or both are unmarried
3.  Bible sexual immorality in general, esp adultery

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

fornication
c.1300, from O.Fr. fornication, from L.L. fornicationem (nom. fornicatio), from fornicari "fornicate," from L. fornix (gen. fornicis) "brothel," 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
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

fornication for·ni·ca·tion (fôr'nĭ-kā'shən)
n.
Sexual intercourse between partners who are not married to each other.


for'ni·cate' v.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Easton
Bible Dictionary

Fornication definition


in every form of it was sternly condemned by the Mosaic law (Lev. 21:9; 19:29; Deut. 22:20, 21, 23-29; 23:18; Ex. 22:16). (See ADULTERY.) But this word is more frequently used in a symbolical than in its ordinary sense. It frequently means a forsaking of God or a following after idols (Isa. 1:2; Jer. 2:20; Ezek. 16; Hos. 1:2; 2:1-5; Jer. 3:8,9).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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