Adulteries

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of engaging in sexual relationships outside of marriage, thereby violating the commitments of matrimony
2. Instances of infidelity where one partner in a committed relationship seeks intimacy with someone else
3. Actions that breach the trust and fidelity expected in marital unions by forming romantic and sexual connections with others

Etymology: "Adulteries" is simply the plural of "adultery," so the story belongs to the singular. The noun came into English as a learned borrowing from Latin "adulterium," which derives from the verb "adulterare," meaning to corrupt or to tamper with something by adding to it. The Latin sense was the broader idea of debasement, and the link to sexual betrayal came from the notion of corrupting a lawful marriage. Before "adultery" arrived, English had its own word for the offence. Old English used "ǣwbryċe," literally a breaking of marriage law, and Middle English later relied on "avoutrie," inherited through Old French. The newer form kept the older ending but was reshaped to look like its Latin source, which is why the spelling now seems so clearly classical. The plural "adulteries" follows the usual pattern for nouns ending in a consonant plus "y," changing the "y" to "ies." It is the same word, so it inherits the same Latin and French history.

Synonyms: infidelities, betrayals, unfaithfulness, disloyalties, extramarital-affairs

Antonyms: faithfulness, loyalty, fidelity, devotion, commitment