Fornicating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Engaging in sexual relations that are often deemed inappropriate or illicit, typically outside of established marital bonds or social norms
2. Involvement in sexual activities that are viewed as immoral or unlawful, particularly when occurring outside committed relationships
3. Having sexual intercourse between people who are not married to each other

Etymology: "Fornicating" is the present participle of "fornicate," and the verb's roots lie in an ordinary Latin building feature. The Latin "fornix" meant an arch or vault, and by extension a vaulted passage or chamber. Its second sense, "brothel," appears to have grown from that: the arched passageways where courtesans waited for customers, sheltered from the rain, gave the place its name. The verb was borrowed from the Latin "fornicatus," the past participle of "fornicari," and first appeared in English in 1552. The English verb kept the sexual sense of its Latin source, so from the start it described illicit intercourse rather than architecture. A separate adjective, "fornicate," meaning arched or vaulted, was first recorded in 1828, built directly from the same "fornix" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ate." That architectural sense is now rare, so the verb is the form most readers encounter.

Synonyms: copulating, intercourse, sexual relations