Adultery

This article is about the act of adultery or extramarital sex. For the music album, see Adultery (album). For a broad overview, see Religion and sexuality.

Le supplice des adultères by JulesArsene Garnier Look up adultery in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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Adultery (also called philandery) is a form of extramarital sex. It is sexual infidelity toone's spouse. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse.[1]

Adultery is illegal in some countries. The interaction between laws onadultery with those on rape has and does pose particular problems in societies that are especially sensitive to sexual relations by a married woman and men.[2] The difference between the offences is thatadultery is voluntary, while rape is not.

The term adultery has an Abrahamic origin, though the concept predates Judaism and is found in many other societies. Though the definition and consequencesvary between religions, cultures, and legal jurisdictions, the concept is similar in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Hinduism has a similar concept.[3]

Historically, adultery has been considered...