Carnal Knowledge

sexual intercourse

Carnal knowledge is an archaic or legal euphemism for sexual intercourse. Carnal Knowledge is also the name of several books, films and television shows; a well-known example is the 1971 movie Carnal Knowledge starring Jack Nicholson.The word "carnal" derives from latin carnalis, meaning "fleshly", and the word "knowledge" in this phrase derives from the "Biblical sense" of the word, which means "sexual relations".In criminology, the phrase has had different meanings at different times and in different jurisdictions. While commonly a mere euphemism for sexual intercourse (not necessarily unlawful), different jurisdictions may define carnal knowledge as a specific sex act such as contact between a penis and vagina, some laws elaborating this to include even "slight penile penetration of female genitalia". The definition sometimes includes a set of sex acts that include anal sex and/or oral sex, while some statutes specifically exclude such acts. The law may specify that the sex act must result in ejaculation, and/or orgasm. Carnal knowledge has also sometimes meant sexual intercourse outside of marriage, and sometimes refers to sex with someone under the age of consent. The phrase is often found in this sense in modern legal usage, as the term "rape" implies lack of consent, and consent is considered irrelevant to such cases.
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Carnal Knowledge is a 1971 American drama film. The film was directed by Mike Nichols and written by Jules Feiffer.
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Noun
1. the act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occur
(synonym) sexual intercourse, intercourse, sex act, copulation, coitus, coition, sexual congress, congress, sexual relation, relation
(hypernym) sexual activity, sexual practice, sex, sex activity
(hyponym) defloration
(part-meronym) insemination

CARNAL KNOWLEDGE - Crim. Law. This phrase is used to signify a sexual connexion; as rape is the carnal knowledge of a woman, etc.

CARNALLY KNEW - Pleadings. This is a technical phrase essential in an indictment to charge the defendant with the crime of rape; no other word or circumlocution will answer the same purpose as these words. It has been doubted whether these words were indispensible, but it would be unsafe to omit them.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.

Synonyms and related words:
act of love, adultery, aphrodisia, ass, balling, climax, cohabitation, coition, coitus, coitus interruptus, commerce, congress, connection, copula, copulation, coupling, diddling, fornication, intercourse, intimacy, lovemaking, making it with, marital relations, marriage act, mating, meat, onanism, orgasm, ovum, pareunia, procreation, relations, screwing, sex, sex act, sexual climax, sexual commerce, sexual congress, sexual intercourse, sexual relations, sexual union, sleeping with, sperm, venery