A woman who engages in fornication or sexual relations outside of marriage, especially in legal or archaic contexts.
From Latin fornicatrix, the feminine form of fornicator, ultimately from fornix (arch or brothel in Roman times). The term entered English through ecclesiastical and legal Latin during the medieval period.
Roman brothels were literally called 'fornices' because they were often set in arched structures under the bridges of Rome—so this word's root literally means 'arch,' reminding us that even ancient cities had a geography of vice.
Latin feminine form, exclusively applied to women. Medieval and Early Modern English legal/religious texts used this gendered noun to linguistically isolate and condemn women's sexuality while leaving men's conduct unmarked.
Avoid. This word grammatically marks women as categorically different for the same conduct. Use 'woman engaged in fornication' if historical specificity is required.
["woman engaged in fornication","person engaged in fornication"]
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