endogamous

American  

[en-dog-uh-muhs] / ɛnˈdɒg ə məs /

Sometimes endogamic

adjective

1. of or relating to the practice of allowing marriage only within a specific tribe, caste, ethnic or religious group, or other social unit.

   The Bosnian War restricted social relations between different ethnic groups, intensifying endogamous practices in some villages.

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Etymology

Origin of endogamous

First recorded in 1860–65; endo- ( def. ) + -gamous ( def. ); coined in by Scottish anthropologist and ethnologist John Ferguson McLennan (1827–1881)

Example Sentences

In endogamous populations, such variants can occur 100 to 1,000 times as often as in more outbred populations, shortening the time and cost required to find them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Its tech talent and endogamous cohorts make it unique.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

This, he said, was also "the secret of endogamous marriage".

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2016

The local tribe is neither exogamous nor endogamous, any more than is an English county.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2 "Fairbanks, Erastus" to "Fens" by Various

In the Central Provinces the caste forms only one endogamous group.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India Volume II by Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)