adultery

adultery
/euh dul"teuh ree/, n., pl. adulteries.
voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse.
[1325-75; ME adulterie < L adulterium, equiv. to adulter (see ADULTERER) + -ium -IUM; r. ME a(d)vouterie < OF avoutrie < L, with ad- AD- r. a A-5]

* * *

Sexual relations between a married person and someone other than his or her spouse.

Prohibitions against adultery are found in virtually every society; Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions all condemn it, and in some Islamic countries it is still punishable by death. Attitudes toward adultery in different cultures have varied widely. Under the Code of Hammurabi (18th century BC) in Babylonia it was punishable by death by drowning, and in ancient Rome an offending woman could be killed, though men were not severely punished. In western Europe and North America, adultery by either spouse is a ground for divorce, though in the U.S. the shift to no-fault divorce significantly reduced the importance of adultery as an element in divorce proceedings. The spread of Western ideas of equality in marriage has resulted in pressure for equal marital rights for women in traditional African and Southeast Asian societies.

* * *

▪ sexual behaviour
      sexual relations between a married person and someone other than the spouse. Written or customary prohibitions or taboos (taboo) against adultery constitute part of the marriage code of virtually every society. Indeed, adultery seems to be as universal and, in some instances, as common as marriage.

      The Code of Hammurabi (Hammurabi, Code of) (18th century BC) in Babylonia provided a punishment of death by drowning for adultery. In ancient Greece and in Roman law, an offending female spouse could be killed, but men were not severely punished. The Jewish, Islamic, and Christian traditions are all unequivocal in their condemnation of adultery. The culpability of both men and women is more explicitly expressed in the New Testament and the Talmud (Talmud and Midrash) than in the Old Testament or the Qurʾān. In strict interpretations of Islamic (Islām) law, or Sharīʿah, men and women are equally liable to harsh punishments for adultery (Arabic: zināʾ; properly, any extramarital sexual intercourse), including death by stoning—a punishment still applied in the early 21st century in some countries, including Iran and Afghanistan.

      Because the term adultery implies distinctively Judeo-Christian and Islamic attitudes toward marriage, many contemporary anthropologists are cautious about using it in comparative contexts. There are many societies in which marriage is considered a less-permanent arrangement and in which extramarital sex is less sternly condemned. In other words, attitudes toward adultery vary widely between cultures. Whereas the traditional Senufo and Bambara of West Africa, for example, tacitly condone the honour crime of killing the adulterous female spouse and her companion, among the Kaka in Cameroon a man may have sexual relations with the wives of certain relatives with impunity. Wife lending was long a part of Eskimo hospitality. Nonincestuous extramarital relations are permitted by many South Sea island cultures, and among certain Pueblo Indian societies adultery is so common that it is tolerated if kept secret.

      Under ancient Hindu (Hinduism) law, marriage was an indissoluble sacrament, and not even a wife's adultery could sever the legal tie and dissolve the marriage act. In the modern Hindu code, divorce can be granted to either offended party if one spouse is living in adultery but not if there are only occasional violations.

      In western Europe and North America, adultery was traditionally a ground for divorce. The diffusion of this principle, along with Western notions of egalitarianism and modern expectations of mutual emotional support in marriage, has resulted in unprecedented pressure for equal marital rights for women in traditional African and Southeast Asian societies. In many eastern European countries, adultery does not in itself constitute a ground for divorce; both partners must testify, under the principle of “general breakdown,” that the offense resulted in the decline of those feelings of which marital unity is composed. The concept of marital breakdown was gradually adopted in the United States during the 1970s, when many states began to permit “no-fault” divorces, which do not require an injured party to prove specific misdeeds. Most American states allow couples to divorce on either a fault or a no-fault basis, and many use no-fault divorce exclusively. The shift to no-fault divorce significantly reduced the importance of adultery as an element in divorce proceedings.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Adultery — is the voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and another person who is not his or her spouse, though in many places it is only considered adultery when a married woman has sexual relations with someone who is not her husband. In… …   Wikipedia

  • ADULTERY — (Heb. נִאוּף, ni uf; sometimes, loosely, זְנוּת, zenut; זְנוּנִים, zenunim; lit. fornication, whoredom ). Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married woman, or one engaged by payment of the brideprice, and a man other than her husband.… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Adultery — • The article considers adultery with reference only to morality Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Adultery     Adultery     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • adultery — adul·tery /ə dəl tə rē/ n: voluntary sexual activity (as sexual intercourse) between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband; also: the crime of adultery compare fornication… …   Law dictionary

  • Adultery — A*dul ter*y, n.; pl. {Adulteries}. [L. adulterium. See {Advoutry}.] 1. The unfaithfulness of a married person to the marriage bed; sexual intercourse by a married man with another than his wife, or voluntary sexual intercourse by a married woman… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • adultery — (n.) voluntary violation of the marriage bed, c.1300, avoutrie, from O.Fr. avouterie (12c.), noun of condition from avoutre, from L. adulterare to corrupt (see ADULTERATION (Cf. adulteration)). Modern spelling, with the re inserted d , is from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • adultery — adultery, fornication, incest designate forms of illicit sexual intercourse which are clearly distinguished in legal use, both civil and ecclesiastical. Adultery implies unfaithfulness to one’s spouse, and therefore can be applied only to sexual… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • adultery — [n] extramarital affair affair, carrying on*, cheating, extracurricular activity*, fling, fornication, hanky panky*, immorality, infidelity, matinee*, playing around*, relationship, thing*, two timing*; concept 633 Ant. faithfulness …   New thesaurus

  • adultery — ► NOUN ▪ voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse. DERIVATIVES adulterous adjective …   English terms dictionary

  • adultery — [ə dul′tər ē] n. pl. adulteries [L adulterium < adulter: see ADULTERATE] voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and a woman not his wife, or between a married woman and a man not her husband: see also FORNICATION …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”