Promiscuity
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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- Made up of various disparate elements mixed together; of disorderly composition.
- 1667: Came singly where he stood on the bare strand, / While the promiscuous croud stood yet aloof — John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book 1, ll. 379-80
- Made without careful choice; indiscriminate.
- Indiscriminate in choice of sexual partners.
Promiscuity is the practice of making relatively casual and indiscriminate choices. The term is most commonly applied to sexual behavior, where it refers to a person who does not limit their sex life to the cultural norm, typically one partner, or to the framework of a long term monogamous sexual relationship. Because of the popularity of this usage, the remainder of this article discusses sexual promiscuity. It is worth noting that people who are called "promiscuous" under this usage, may in fact be quite selective in their choice of sexual partners.
Promiscuity is discouraged by conservative modern day religions. However, some sects, cults, and religious orders have a place for promiscuous behavior. For example, there were special examples of religious prostitution in ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome.
See also