incest

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈɪnsɛst/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈɪnsɛst/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(in′sest)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
in•cest /ˈɪnsɛst/USA pronunciation   n. [uncountable]
  1. Sociologysexual relations between persons so closely related that they are forbidden to marry.
in•ces•tu•ous /ɪnˈsɛstʃuəs/USA pronunciation  adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
in•cest  (in′sest),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Medicine, Anthropology, Sociologysexual intercourse between closely related persons.
  2. Medicine, Sociology, Lawthe crime of sexual intercourse, cohabitation, or marriage between persons within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity wherein marriage is legally forbidden.
  • Latin incestus (noun, nominal) sexual impurity, derivative of incestus (adjective, adjectival) profane, sexually impure (in- in-3 + -cestus combining form of castus chaste), by analogy with verb, verbal nouns derived with -tus
  • Middle English 1175–1225

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
incest / ˈɪnsɛst/
  1. sexual intercourse between two persons commonly regarded as too closely related to marry
Etymology: 13th Century: from Latin incestus incest (from adj: impure, defiled), from in-1 + castus chaste
'incest' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
incestuous

Forum discussions with the word(s) "incest" in the title:


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