Sodomy
/ˈsɒd.ə.mi/noun
Sexual activity involving anal intercourse, especially as a historical legal or religious category.
Did you know?The Bible’s account of Sodom does not explicitly describe anal sex; the specific association developed through later Jewish, Christian, and medieval legal interpretation.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
סְדֹם (Sədōm)
“Sodom, the city named in the Hebrew Bible; its original name meaning is uncertain.”
Late Antiquity
Greek
Σοδομῖται (Sodomîtai)
“People associated with Sodom; later Christian writers connected the city with sexual transgression.”
Late Latin
Latin
sodomia
“Sexual sin or intercourse associated with the biblical Sodom narrative.”
Middle English
English
sodomy
“A grave sexual offense, especially in ecclesiastical and legal writing.”
16th–19th Century
English
sodomy
“A broad legal and religious category that could include anal intercourse and other acts deemed ‘unnatural.’”
Modern English
English
sodomy
“A chiefly historical or legal term for sexual activity involving anal intercourse; usage and legal status vary by jurisdiction.”