See also relationship;wife
adelphogamy
the form of marriage in which brothers have a common wife or wives. —adelphogamic, adj.
bigamy
the state or practice of being married to more than one wife or one husband at a time. —bigamist, n. —bigamous, adj.
celibacy
the state of being single or unmarried, especially in the case of one bound by vows not to marry. —celibate, n., adj.
celibatist
an advocate of celibacy.
cicisbeism
the practice of a married woman having an escort or cavalier, called a cicisbeo, in attendance.
deuterogamy
digamism. —deuterogamist, n. —deuterogamous, adj.
digamy
a second legal marriage after the termination of a first marriage by death or divorce. Also called deuterogamy. —digamist, n. —digamous, adj.
endogamy
the custom of marrying only within one’s tribe or similar social unit. —endogamic, endogamous, adj.
epithalamium
a song or poem composed and performed in honor of a bride or groom.
exogamy
the practice of marrying only outside one’s tribe or similar social unit. —exogamic, exogamous, adj.
gamomania
1. Obsolete, a form of mania characterized by strange and extravagant proposals of marriage.
2. an excessive longing for the married state.
gamophobia
an abnormal fear of marriage.
mariticide
the killing of a husband. —mariticidal, adj.
matrimony
the act or state of marriage; married life. —matrimonial, adj.
misogamy
a hatred of marriage. —misogamist, n. —misogamic, adj.
monandry
the custom of marriage to only one man at a time. —monandrous, adj.
monogamy
the custom of marriage to one wife or one husband at a time. —monogamous, adj.
morganatic
designating or pertaining to a marriage between a man of high social standing and a woman of lower station in which the marriage contract stipulates that neither she nor their offspring will have claim to his rank or property.
neogamist
a person recently married; a newlywed.
nubility
the condition of being marriageable, especially in reference to a woman’s age or physical development. —nubile, adj.
pantagamy
a form of marriage in which every woman in a community is married to every man and every man is married to every woman. —pantagamic, adj.
paranymph
the best man or maid of honor at a wedding.
polyandry
the practice of having two or more husbands at a time. —polyandrous, adj.
polygamy
the practice or state of being married to more than one person at a time. —polygamous, adj.
polygyny
the practice of having two or more wives at a time. —polygynous, polygynious, adj.
prothalamion, prothalamium
a nuptial or wedding song or verse.
trigamy
the condition of having three spouses, especially in the criminal sense of having them simultaneously. —trigamous, adj.
