FORNICATION – EARLY ENGLISH
The New World of English Words: Or, a General Dictionary, Edward Phillips, Cambridge / Oxford, 1658, (no page numbers):
And, of course, Oxford was well known for its library of numerous etymological sources; as is also its forte today. First publications usually deal with the written sources, then they’ll hear from those who want it changed.
To transpose, and just in case you need to know what a whore is:
A New English Dictionary, John Kersey, 1702, (no page numbers):
Translated from Elizabethan English:
A Whore, or harlot; a lewd Woman that prostitutes her self for gain. …Whoredom, or fornication.
By the way:
The New World of English Words: Or, a General Dictionary, Edward Phillips, Cambridge / Oxford, 1658, (no page numbers):
Translated:
Prostitution, (lat.) a Harlots letting out the use of her body for hire.
A Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language, 1796, p. 37:
P. 123:
P. 285:
The Holy Bible (King James Version), 1611 Edition, 1 Thessalonians, Chap. IIII:
This shows that, during that era, if you had an English 1611 King James Bible and an authoritative English dictionary, you would receive a different meaning than you would today.