Skip to content

fornicate

verb

  1. to have consensual sexual intercourse between two people not married to each other
L7671 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈfɔː.nɪ.kət/ / /ˈfɔɹ.nɪ.kət/ / /ˈfɔː.nɪˌkeɪt/ / /ˈfɔɹ.nɪˌkeɪt/

adj

Etymology: First attested in 1828; from fornix + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

  1. Shaped like an arch or vault; resembling a fornix.

verb

Etymology: First attested in 1552; borrowed from Latin fornicātus, perfect active participle of fornicor (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fornix (“arch, vault; brothel”). It was customary for courtesans of the era to wait for their customers out of the rain in arched passageways.

  1. To engage in fornication.