Adulteress
/əˈdʌl.tər.əs/noun
A woman who engages in adultery.
Did you know?The core Latin root behind adulteress is tied to the idea of “corrupting” or “making impure,” which is why related words like adulterate and adultery carry the sense of contamination, not just infidelity.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*al-
“to grow, nourish; to increase”
Latin
Latin
adulterāre
“to corrupt, debase, falsify; to commit adultery”
Late Latin
Latin
adulterus
“an adulterer; unchaste, illicit”
Old French
Old French
adulteresse
“a female adulterer”
Middle English
English
adulteresse
“a woman guilty of adultery”
Modern English
English
adulteress
“a woman who engages in adultery”
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