adulterous

the word 'adulterous' originates from the latin verb 'adulterare', meaning 'to corrupt' or 'to commit adultery'. this verb itself is a compound, likely formed from 'ad-' (toward, to) and 'alter' (other), suggesting a turning toward another. the core concept is one of corruption or deviation from the proper state, originally applied to debasing substances and later specialized to the violation of marital fidelity. the modern english form, through old french 'avoutre', was reshaped by association with the word 'adult', though the two words are not directly related in meaning. the suffix '-ous' consistently forms adjectives indicating possession of a quality, here the quality of being an adulterer.

Structure: adult (grown up) + er (agent suffix) + ous (adjective suffix) adult (from latin 'adultus', past participle of 'adolescere', meaning 'to grow up'); er (agent-forming suffix from old english '-ere', from proto-germanic); ous (adjective-forming suffix from old french '-ous', from latin '-osus', meaning 'full of').