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

Her argument was that the king - known to his subjects as "Ingonyama", meaning Lion - would be committing the offence of "bigamy" without first "converting" his civil marriage to her into a traditional Zulu marriage.

From BBC

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

Rachel’s divorce had not been legally granted at the time of their wedding, so Rachel Robards was still married to her first husband when she married Andrew Jackson, a crime known as bigamy.

From Literature

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

From BBC

The voting ban affects Mississippi residents convicted of specific felonies, including murder, forgery and bigamy.

From Seattle Times