The word incest refers to a taboo topic and can be a tricky word to study. This guide will help you learn about the word incest and how to use it.
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Kevin
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February 10, 2022
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What Does the Word Incest Mean?
Incest is defined as sexual activity, sexual relations, or sexual intercourse performed between family members. This is usually prohibited by law when it comes to direct family members such as siblings or children and parents, but laws can vary when it comes to more distant relatives like cousins, grandparents, and grandchildren, a stepparent like a stepfather and a stepmother with a stepdaughter or stepson, or an aunt or uncle and niece and nephew.
Often, even if there are no prohibitions, an affinity for incest is considered to be taboo. The laws regarding incest are different in every state in the United States. In Utah, for example, first cousins are not permitted to participate in incest until they reach a certain age.
Participants in incest with close blood relatives like sibling incest or parent-child incest not only run the risk of things like inbreeding, but these sexual relationships often lead to emotional damage. Victims of incest, especially those under the age of consent, often need years of therapy and a support group to overcome the anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and other forms of mental illness that can come from this form of copulation.
What Are Translations of the Word Incest?
Incest is not only a taboo topic in English-speaking countries but in other places as well. If you are trying to discuss the ramifications of incest with a person who does not know English as a first language, studying this list of translations of incest can be highly beneficial.
- Dutch: bloedschande (fem.), incest (fem.)
- Faroese: blóðskemd (fem.), insest (fem.)
- Czech: incest (masc.), krvesmilství (neut.), krvesmilstvo (neut.)
- Italian: incesto (masc.)
- Armenian: արյունապղծություն
- Turkish: ensest
- Maori: kaiwhiore, ngauwhiore
- Manx: croiaght
- Estonian: intsest
- Khmer: ទាស់មុខស្មន់ (toah muk smɑn)
- Scottish Gaelic: col (masc.)
- Romanian: incest
- Tagalog: insesto
- Malay: sumbang muhrim
- Old Frisian: swesbed
- Basque: intzestu
- Spanish: incesto (masc.)
- German: Inzest (masc.)
- Old English: sibbleger, mǣġhǣmed
- Greek: αδελφομιξία (fem.)
- Vietnamese: loạn luân
- Finnish: insesti, sukurutsaus, sukurutsa, (law) sukupuoliyhteys lähisukulaisten kesken
- French: inceste (masc.)
- Swedish: incest (common)
- Japanese: 近親相姦 (きんしんそうかん, kinshin sōkan), インセスト (insesuto)
- Gujarati: ગૌત્રગમન (gautragaman)
- Ukrainian: інце́ст (masc.), кровозмі́шення (neut.)
- Danish: incest (common), blodskam (common)
- Hebrew: גִלוּי עֲרָיוֹת
- Arabic: جِنْس مَحَارِم (masc.)
- Georgian: ინცესტი
- Indonesian: hubungan sedarah, inses, hubungan sumbang, hubungan sekerabat
- Slovak: incest (masc.), krvismilstvo (neut.)
- Hindi: ईन्सेस्त (īnsēsta)
- Irish: col (masc.), ciorrú coil (masc.), corbadh (masc.)
What Is the Etymology of the Word Incest?
The word incest comes from the Latin incestus and Latin incestum, which mean unchaste or impure. These both stem from the Latin castus meaning chaste. The word incest has been used since Middle English.
Even in past societies, incest was often considered taboo. Incest prohibition is currently common, and there are many statutes in place to prevent this form of child abuse. While consensual adult incest is certainly a cultural taboo, it is also frequently illegal to have sexual contact with close relatives or those from your own lineage or clan.
How Can the Word Incest Be Used in a Sentence?
Using incest in a sentence can be daunting. This is a loaded word with heavily negative connotations. If you plan to use incest in a sentence, make sure that you are very clear on the definition of incest.
By studying these example sentences that contain the word incest, you can begin to learn how this word is often used in a sentence. After you are comfortable using this word, you can attempt to use it in a sentence to deepen your understanding of it.
The perpetrators of the horrific form of incest were locked away. Their spouses could not believe their disgusting behavior.
The daughter of adoption did not understand why her incestuous relationship with her father was so taboo — he wasn’t her biological father, and she felt they had a right to privacy. Other people in the community found the relationship disgusting.
Are the different degrees of consanguinity really creating boundaries when it comes to incest, or is this jurisdiction just created as an excuse?
What Are Synonyms of the Word Incest?
The word incest is often taboo to even say out loud. In situations where the ord incest may be too risque or explicit to use, you can opt for a synonym instead. This is a list of synonyms of incest.
- adulterous
- chesapeake
- chiquito
- electral love
- endogamy
- enseamed
- inbreeding
- incestuous
- interbreeding
- oedipal love
- selfing
Other Types of Sexual Violence
There are many different types of sexual violence and sexually violent crimes. Study this list from RAINN to learn more about the different types of sexual violence.
- Legal Role of Consent
- Military Sexual Trauma
- Prisoner Rape
- Sexual Abuse of People with Disabilities
- Elder Abuse
- Multiple-Perpetrator Sexual Assault
- Sexual Exploitation via Helping Professionals
- Sexual Exploitation via Medical Professionals
- Using Technology to Sexually Hurt Others
- Stalking
- Sexual Harassment
- Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Intimate Partner Sexual Violence
- General Sexual Assault
Overall, incest refers to sexual relations, sexual activity, and sexual violence between family members. Often a very taboo topic, incest is outlawed between close family members in many different locations around the world. In other locations, there are specific guidelines for how close of a family member is too close.
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