adultery

Meaning

1. Sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than their spouse. See more synonyms at Thesaurus:cuckoldry
2. Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the sixth/seventh commandment; sinful sexual behavior as a category.
3. Faithlessness in religion.
4. (obsolete) The fine and penalty formerly imposed for the offence of adultery.
5. The intrusion of a person into a bishopric during the life of the bishop.
6. Adulteration; corruption.
7. (obsolete) Injury; degradation; ruin.

Synonyms

fornication

infidelity

criminal conversation

prostitution

immorality

illicit intercourse

fornicate

adulterer

unfaithful

unfaithfulness

misconduct

illicit sex

affair

murder

perversity

sin

unchastity

sexual deviation

extra-marital intercourse

cuckoldry

criminal connection

committing adultery

branchinʼ

fence-jumpinʼ

adulteress

adulterousness

bigamy

concubinage

debauchery

eloping

extramarital

impropriety

intrigue

lechery

lewdness

lovemaking

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈdʌltəɹi/

Etymology

Cognate with Old French: -

Cognate with French: adultère

Cognate with Old English: ǣwbryċe

In summary

From the Old French scholarly form adultere (“violation of conjugal faith”) (in Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons, 12c.), from Latin adulterium, from adulterō. Replaced the older form avoutrie, from the popular Old French forms avouterie or aoulterie. Compare French adultère (“adultery”). Displaced Old English ǣwbryċe. Not related to adult.