Wedlock definition
The state of being married; matrimony.
noun
The state of being married; matrimony.
noun
out of wedlock
- Of parents not legally married to each other:Born out of wedlock.
idiom
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Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
wedlock
Plural:
wedlocksIdioms and Phrasal Verbs
Origin of wedlock
- Middle English wedlocke from Old English wedlāc wedd pledge -lāc n. suff. expressing activity
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English wedlok, wedlocke (“wedlock, marriage, matrimony"), from Old English wedlāc (“marriage vow, pledge, plighted troth, wedlock"), from wedd (“pledge") + -lāc, suffix denoting activity or process, equivalent to wed +"Ž -lock.
From Wiktionary