fornication

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun voluntary sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other
noun extramarital sex that willfully and maliciously interferes with marriage relations

From Middle English fornicacioun, from Old French fornicacion, from Latin fornicātiō, from fornix (“brothel”).

Fornication is a very libertine thought. — Notre-Dame de Paris, Victor Hugo
If ye touch at the islands, Mr. Flask, beware of fornication. — Moby Dick; Or, The Whale, Herman Melville
These arcade dens were called “fornices,” from which comes our generic fornication. — The Satyricon — Complete, Petronius Arbiter

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning