What does "adultery" mean?
Adultery: Adulteration; corruption. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Additional senses
- 2.(Script.) (a) Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the seventh commandment. (b) Faithlessness in religion. Jer. iii.
- 3.4. (Old Law) The fine and penalty imposed for the offense of adultery.
- 4.(Eccl.) The intrusion of a person into a bishopric during the life of the bishop.
- 5.Injury; degradation; ruin. [Obs.] You might wrest the caduceus out of my hand to the adultery and spoil of nature. B. Jonson.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00