Carnal knowledge is an
archaic or legal
euphemism for
sexual intercourse. The term derives from the
Biblical usage of the verb
know/knew, as in the
King James Bible and other versions, a euphemism for sexual conduct. An example of this usage is in the first part of the Bible, the
Book of Genesis, which describes how
Adam and Eve created their first child: "
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with [the help of] Jehovah." – .