What is CARNAL KNOWLEDGE? What does CARNAL KNOWLEDGE mean? CARNAL KNOWLEDGE meaning & explanation

What is CARNAL KNOWLEDGE? What does CARNAL KNOWLEDGE mean? CARNAL KNOWLEDGE meaning - CARNAL KNOWLEDGE definition - CARNAL KNOWLEDGE explanation.
Carnal knowledge is an archaic or legal euphemism for sexual intercourse. The term derives from the Biblical usage of the verb know/knew, as in the King James Bible and other versions, a euphemism for sexual conduct. An example of this usage is in the first part of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, which describes how Adam and Eve created their first child: "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with Jehovah." – Genesis 4:1.

In criminal law, the phrase has had different meanings at different times and in different jurisdictions. While commonly a mere euphemism for sexual intercourse (not necessarily unlawful), different jurisdictions have defined carnal knowledge (as well as sexual intercourse) as a specific sex act such as contact between a penis and vagina, some laws elaborating this to include even "slight penile penetration of female sex organs". The definition sometimes includes a set of sex acts that include sodomy, while some statutes specifically exclude such acts. Some laws do not define the term, and leave it to the courts to give it meaning, which also allows them to take into account changing community standards.

Carnal knowledge has also sometimes meant sexual intercourse outside of marriage, and sometimes refers to sex with someone under the age of consent. The phrase is often found in this sense in modern legal usage, being equivalent to statutory rape in some jurisdictions, as the term rape implies lack of consent.

A related term is carnal abuse, which is defined by Dictionary.com as "any lascivious contact with the sexual organs of a child by an adult". Usually, but not always, this does not involve penetration.