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lewdness

 - 5 dictionary results

lewd

  [lood]
Use lewdness in a Sentence
–adjective -er, -est.
1. inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious.
2. obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.
3. Obsolete.
a. low, ignorant, or vulgar.
b. base, vile, or wicked, esp. of a person.
c. bad, worthless, or poor, esp. of a thing.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME leud, lewed, OE lǣwede lay, unlearned

Related forms:
lewdly, adverb
lewdness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lewdness
lewd   (lōōd)   
adj.   lewd·er, lewd·est

    1. Preoccupied with sex and sexual desire; lustful.

    2. Obscene; indecent.

  2. Obsolete Wicked.


[Middle English leued, unlearned, lay, lascivious, from Old English lǣwede, ignorant, lay.]
lewd'ly adv., lewd'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

lewd 
O.E. læwede "nonclerical," of uncertain origin but probably ult. from V.L. *laigo-, from L. laicus (see lay (adj.)). Sense of "unlettered, uneducated" (1225) descended to "coarse, vile, lustful" by 1386.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: lewd
Pronunciation: 'lüd
Function: adjective
: involving or being sexual conduct that is considered indecent or offensive : LICENTIOUS lewd and lascivious assault upon a child —National Law Journal> —lewd·ly adverb —lewd·ness noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Lewdness

(Acts 18:14), villany or wickedness, not lewdness in the modern sense of the word. The word "lewd" is from the Saxon, and means properly "ignorant," "unlearned," and hence low, vicious (Acts 17:5).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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