Though I prefer the readability of the NIV and lately, of the ESV, I chose King James Version for today’s post. The poetry of the 1611 Divines lends an unforgettable lilt to a commandment forbidding a very base thing.Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14; KJV)
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Did you ever wonder about the word, adultery? I have. Is it related to the word, adult in some sense, like an adult movie? As it turns out, no.
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The word, adult, is derived from a past-tense form of the Latin word, adolescere, meaning ‘to mature’, whereas adultery is from the Latin word adulterare, meaning ‘to corrupt.’ An interesting related word is skullduggery, which is derived from the Scottish sculdudrie, meaning ‘adultery’ or perhaps from sculduddery, meaning ‘bawdry or obscenity.’
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So, next time you hear someone refer to a movie as ‘adult’ don’t associate that with the positive connotation of maturity. You can, instead, translate that in your mind to ‘obscene,’ which word literally means, ‘not to be shown on stage.’
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So, next time you hear someone refer to a movie as ‘adult’ don’t associate that with the positive connotation of maturity. You can, instead, translate that in your mind to ‘obscene,’ which word literally means, ‘not to be shown on stage.’
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