Bestiality Sexual relations between a human being and an animal.
At Common Law, bestiality was considered a crime against nature and was punishable by death.
Today, it is prohibited by statutes in most states as a form of Sodomy. The penalty for committing the offense is a fine, imprisonment, or both.
West's Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. bestiality n. copulation by a human with an animal, which is a crime in all states as a "crime against nature." (See: crime against nature)
Copyright © 1981-2005 by Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen T. Hill. All Right reserved. bestiality the offence of having sex with an animal. Collins Dictionary of Law © W.J. Stewart, 2006