The Celibacy reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Celibacy

Celibacy may refer either to being unmarried or to sexual abstinence. A vow of celibacy is a promise not to enter into marriage but instead to consecrate one's life to service. Some writers prefer this usage of "celibacy", while others use it interchangeably as a synonym for abstinence.

The old usage of this term ment "to have sexual intercourse only with one's wife".

The term involuntary celibacy refers to lack of sexual intercourse for reasons other than (voluntary) abstinence, e.g. shyness / love-shyness.

See also:

• chastity
• asexuality
• clerical celibacy
• involuntary celibacy

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