- Carnal knowledge
Carnal knowledge is an archaic or legal
euphemism forsexual intercourse .Though the term is still in use in some older statutes, the terms more likely to be used now are "sexual intercourse" or "
sexual penetration ".Etymology
The word "carnal" derives from latin "carnalis", meaning "fleshly", and the word "knowledge" in this phrase derives from the "Biblical sense" of "to know", which means "to have
sexual intercourse with". [ [http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxbiblic.html AUE: FAQ excerpt: Biblical sense of "to know" ] ] [ [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/known+in+the+biblical+sense known in the biblical sense - definition of known in the biblical sense by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia ] ] [ [http://www.answers.com/know&r=67 know: Definition, Synonyms and Much More from Answers.com ] ] (See (KJV) compared with (NIV).)Usage
In
criminal law , the phrase has had different meanings at different times and in differentjurisdiction s. While commonly a mere euphemism for sexual intercourse (not necessarily unlawful), different jurisdictions have defined carnal knowledge as a specific sex act such as contact between a penis and vagina, some laws elaborating this to include even "slight penile penetration of female genitalia". The definition sometimes includes a set of sex acts that include anal sex and/or oral sex, while some statutes specifically exclude such acts. The law may specify that the sex act must result in ejaculation, and/or orgasm.Carnal knowledge has also sometimes meant sexual intercourse outside of marriage, and sometimes refers to sex with someone under the
age of consent . The phrase is often found in this sense in modern legal usage, being equivalent tostatutory rape in some jurisdictions, as the term "rape" implies lack of consent, and consent is considered irrelevant to such cases.References
Further reading
* The F Word, by Jesse Sheidlower, Random House, 1999, ISBN 0-375-70634-8.
External links
* [http://www.ageofconsent.com/definitions.htm Legal definitions of Carnal Knowledge]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.