noun
intercourse
IHN-tuh-kaws
noun
1
Sexual activity between people.
"The textbook describes the biology of sexual intercourse."
2
Dealings or exchange between people, groups, or countries — social, commercial, or diplomatic.
"Centuries of trade brought cultural intercourse between the two regions."
"Diplomatic intercourse between the two nations resumed after years of silence."
How to Use Intercourse
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMost often used today for sex, but its older, more formal meaning is any exchange or dealing between people or nations.
Common mistake
In modern everyday speech "intercourse" almost always means sex; the "dealings between people" sense now sounds old-fashioned or formal outside of academic or legal writing.
When to use it
The general "dealings" sense is formal/dated; most readers will assume the sexual meaning.
Word Forms
intercoursed past tense, intercourses plural, intercourses singular
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Etymology
From Old French entrecours, from Late Latin intercursus, literally "a running between."