Sodomize
/ˈsɒd.ə.maɪz/noun
To engage in anal intercourse or, in older broad usage, certain non-procreative sexual acts.
Did you know?The term ultimately invokes Sodom, the city destroyed in the biblical Genesis narrative, although the precise historical meaning of the place-name itself is unknown.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
סְדֹם (Sədōm)
“Sodom, the name of the city in the Hebrew Bible; its original meaning is uncertain.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Σόδομα (Sódoma)
“Sodom, the biblical city-name preserved in Greek scripture.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Sodoma
“Sodom; Latin biblical and theological writing associated the city with sexual wrongdoing and divine punishment.”
13th Century
Old French/Latin
sodomie / sodomia
“Sodomy; a theological and legal term for sexual acts classified as sinful or contrary to procreation.”
16th–17th Century
English
sodomize
“To commit sodomy; formed from Sodom or sodomy with the Greek-derived verbal suffix -ize.”
Modern English
English
sodomize
“To engage in anal intercourse, or historically, to perform certain non-procreative sexual acts.”