fornicate

F4O1R1N1I1C3A1T1E1
UK/ˈfɔː.nɪˌkeɪt/US/ˈfɔɹ.nɪˌkeɪt/UK/ˈfɔː.nɪ.kət/US/ˈfɔɹ.nɪ.kət/

verb

To engage in fornication.

OriginLatin fornicātus →
RareScrabble 14
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

fornicate1

verbfornicate (third-person singular simple present fornicates, present participle fornicating, simple past and past participle fornicated)

present singular third person fornicates · participle present fornicating · participle past fornicated · past fornicated

  1. intransitiveTo engage in fornication.

fornicate2

adjectivefornicate (comparative more fornicate, superlative most fornicate)

comparative more fornicate · superlative most fornicate · alternative fornicated

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

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
cohabitcompanyintercourse

Origin

fornicate · verb

  1. Latinfornicātus
  2. Englishfornicate

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.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

fornicate · adjective

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic زَنَى
  • زَنَى (zanā)to engage in fornication
Bulgarian развра́тнича, блудствам
  • развра́тнича (razvrátniča)to engage in fornication
  • блудствам (bludstvam)to engage in fornication
  • сводест (svodest)shaped like an arch
Catalan fornicar
  • fornicarto engage in fornication
Chinese Mandarin 通姦 /通奸
  • 通姦 /通奸 (tōngjiān)to engage in fornication
Czech smilnit
  • smilnitto engage in fornication
Esperanto forniki
  • fornikito engage in fornication
Finnish käydä vieraissa, holvin muotoinen
  • käydä vieraissato engage in fornication
  • holvin muotoinenshaped like an arch
French forniquer
  • forniquerto engage in fornication
German Unzucht treiben
  • Unzucht treibento engage in fornication
Hebrew זָנָה
  • זָנָה (zaná)to engage in fornication
Hungarian paráználkodik
  • paráználkodikto engage in fornication
Italian fornicare, copulare
  • fornicareto engage in fornication
  • copulareto engage in fornication
  • accoppiarsito engage in fornication
  • fare l'amoreto engage in fornication
Japanese 姦淫する
  • 姦淫する (kan'in suru)to engage in fornication
Korean 간통하다
  • 간통하다 (gantonghada)to engage in fornication
Latin fornicor
  • fornicorto engage in fornication
Malay sanggama, senggama
  • sanggamato engage in fornication
  • senggamato engage in fornication
  • amputto engage in fornication
Māori kaikaiātara, moepuku
  • kaikaiātarato engage in fornication
  • moepukuto engage in fornication
Polish cudzołożyć
  • cudzołożyćto engage in fornication
Portuguese fornicar
  • fornicarto engage in fornication
Russian распу́тничать, блуди́ть
  • распу́тничать (raspútničatʹ)to engage in fornication
  • блуди́ть (bludítʹ)to engage in fornication
  • развра́тничать (razvrátničatʹ)to engage in fornication
  • прелюбоде́йствовать (preljubodéjstvovatʹ)to engage in fornication
  • сво́дчатый (svódčatyj)shaped like an arch
  • вы́гнутый (výgnutyj)shaped like an arch
Slovak smilniť
  • smilniťto engage in fornication
Spanish fornicar
  • fornicarto engage in fornication
Swedish bedriva otukt
  • bedriva otuktto engage in fornication
Tagalog makipagtalik
  • makipagtalikto engage in fornication

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

refactionfactionerfornacite
Cite this entry
APA

fornicate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fornicate

MLA

“fornicate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fornicate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fornicate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fornicate.

Source: fornicate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.