fornication

for·ni·ca·tion

Use fornication in a sentence

noun

Fornication is defined as sexual intercourse between unmarried partners.

An example of fornication is sexual intercourse between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Fornication." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Fornication.

APA Style

Fornication. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Fornication

fornication

voluntary sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other
Bible
1. any unlawful sexual intercourse, including adultery
2. worship of idols

Origin of fornication

Middle English fornicacioun from Old French fornication from Ecclesiastical Late Latin fornicatio from fornicatus: see fornicate

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Fornication." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Fornication.

APA Style

Fornication. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Fornication

fornication

noun

Sexual intercourse between people who are not married to each other, especially when considered as a sin.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"Fornication." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Fornication.

APA Style

Fornication. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Fornication

Noun

(plural fornications)

sexual intercourse, especially on the part of an unmarried person.
(law) The act of such illicit sexual intercourse between a man and a woman which does not by law amount to adultery.
1604 I am the sister of one Claudio, Condemn'd upon the act of fornication To lose his head; condemn'd by Angelo — Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act 5, Scene 1
1611 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. — Galatians 5:19-21 KJV

Origin

From Old French fornicacion, from Latin fornicatio, from fornix (“brothel”).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.