Fidelity. What does that word really mean? Why is it so important in marriage? Why is it hardly used nowadays?
Just Google it and you’ll find it’s a word more widely used in financial circles than it is in relationships. Yet, the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it as:
- The quality of being faithful to your husband, wife, or sexual partner
- The quality of being faithful or loyal to a country, organization, etc.
- The degree to which something matches or copies something else
The first use has always been with regard to the marriage relationship. With the world becoming increasingly secular, it then included sexual partners. It is of Latin origin and it connotes such synonyms including faithfulness and trust.
