Keri is a Hebrew term which literally means either "frivolity" or "contrariness" an has come to mean "seminal emission." The term is generally used in Jewish law to refer specifically to the regulations and rituals concerning the emission of semen, whether by nocturnal emission, or by sexual activity. By extension, a man is said to be a ba'al keri, meaning "one who has had a seminal emission" after he has emitted semen without yet completing the associated ritual requirements.