bigamy

American  

[big-uh-mee] / ˈbɪg ə mi /

noun

plural

bigamies

1. Law. the crime of marrying while one has a spouse still living, from whom no valid divorce has been effected.

2. Ecclesiastical. any violation of canon law concerning marital status that would disqualify a person from receiving holy orders or from retaining or surpassing an ecclesiastical rank.

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bigamy British  

/ ˈbɪɡəmɪ /

noun

1. the crime of marrying a person while one is still legally married to someone else

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Other Word Forms

• bigamist noun
• bigamous adjective
• bigamously adverb

Etymology

Origin of bigamy

1200–50; Middle English bigamie < Medieval Latin bigamia ( Late Latin bigam ( us ) bigamous + Latin -ia -y ³ )

Compare meaning

How does bigamy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bigamy vs. polygamy

Example Sentences

But with no-fault divorces, a couple could split amiably, without accusing or proving anything like bigamy or fraud or abandonment.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2024

A man who admitted to the "cruel deception" of bigamy has been handed a suspended jail term and placed on curfew.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2023

Under the Mississippi Constitution, people convicted of 10 specific felonies — including murder, forgery and bigamy — lose the right to vote.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2023

Eight crimes listed in the 1890 version of the provision - bribery, theft, arson, obtaining money or goods under false pretense, perjury, forgery, embezzlement and bigamy - remain as disqualifying offenses today.

From Reuters • Jun. 30, 2023

He often told her that he was going to tell a policeman and have Sissy arrested for bigamy.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith