From Latin 'fornix' (arch/vault), where Roman prostitutes worked — the architecture gave its name to the activity.
To have sexual intercourse outside of marriage.
From Latin 'fornicari,' from 'fornix' (vault, arch, vaulted basement). Roman prostitutes solicited clients under the arched vaults and bridges of Rome. The architectural feature where the act occurred gave its name
To 'fornicate' is to go under an arch. Roman prostitutes worked in the vaulted basements ('fornices') beneath buildings and in arched spaces under bridges. The architecture became so associated with the activity that 'fornix' (arch) became 'fornicari' (to visit a brothel). The same Latin root gives us 'furnace' (a vaulted oven) and the 'fornix' in brain anatomy (an arch-shaped