Obscenity

An obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin obscaena (offstage) a cognate of the Ancient Greek root skene, because some potentially offensive content, such as murder or sex, was depicted offstage in classical drama. The word can be used to indicate a strong moral repugnance, in expressions such as "obscene profits" or "the obscenity of war".

The definition of what constitutes obscenity differs from culture to culture, between communities within a single culture, and also between individuals within those communities. Many cultures have produced laws to define what is considered to be obscene, and censorship is often used to try to suppress or control materials that are obscene under these definitions. In a legal context, the term obscenity is most often used to describe expressions (words, images, actions) of an explicitly sexual nature. As such censorship restricts freedom of expression, crafting a legal definition of obscenity presents a civil liberties issue.