lewd
Lewd is a term used to describe conduct that is indecent, obscene , or lascivious . It is commonly used in statutes to refer to pornography , prostitution , indecent exposure , and other sexual conduct. For example:
- In New York , “[a] person is guilty of public lewdness when he or she intentionally exposes the private or intimate parts of his or her body in a lewd manner or commits any other lewd act: (a) in a public place, or (b) (i) in private premises under circumstances in which he or she may readily be observed from either a public place or from other private premises, and with intent that he or she be so observed, or (ii) while trespassing . . . in a dwelling . . . under circumstances in which he or she is observed by a lawful occupant.”
- In California , “a person who willfully and lewdly commits any lewd or lascivious act . . . upon or with the body, or any part or member thereof, of a child who is under the age of 14 years, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual desires of that person or the child, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for three, six, or eight years.”
- In Massachusetts , “[e]very building, part of a building, tenement or place used for prostitution, assignation or lewdness, and every place within or upon which acts of prostitution, assignation or lewdness are held or occur, shall be deemed a nuisance.”
Lewd is also used to describe inappropriate speech, making it relevant in First Amendment cases regarding freedom of speech . For example, in Bethel School District v. Fraser , the Supreme Court ruled that First Amendment rights do not prevent a school from disciplining lewd speech.
[Last reviewed in October of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
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