Infidelity
November 24th, 2006Adultery, or infidelity, is generally defined as consensual sexual intercourse by a married person with someone other than his or her lawful spouse. In many jurisdictions, an unmarried person who is sexually involved with a married person is also considered an adulterer. Common synonyms for adultery are unfaithfulness or, in colloquial speech, cheating. It was also known in earlier times by the legalistic term “criminal conversation” (another term, “alienation of affection”, is used when one spouse deserts the other for a third person).
The sexual partner of a person committing adultery is often referred to in legal documents, especially divorce proceedings, as a co-respondent, while the person whose spouse has been unfaithful is often labeled a cuckold. Originally, the latter term was applied only to males, but in more recent times women have been characterized in this way too.
