endogamy

American  

[en-dog-uh-mee] / ɛnˈdɒg ə mi /

noun

1. marriage within a specific tribe or similar social unit.

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endogamy British  

/ ˌɛndəʊˈɡæmɪk, ɛnˈdɒɡəmɪ /

noun

1. anthropol marriage within one's own tribe or similar unit Compare exogamy

2. pollination between two flowers on the same plant

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Other Word Forms

• endogamic adjective
• endogamous adjective

Etymology

Origin of endogamy

First recorded in 1860–65; endo- + -gamy

Compare meaning

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

• endogamy vs. exogamy

Example Sentences

Its vast, diverse population includes thousands of communities shaped by centuries of endogamy, or marriage within groups.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

But crucially, Prof Oddie thinks the main risk to genetic health in Bradford is not cousin marriage, but a similar issue known as endogamy, in which people marry members of their close community.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2025

We were undateable, and the level of endogamy amongst us was startling.

From Scientific American • Feb. 6, 2020

But those assigned to Kyrgyzstan’s northern province of Karakol established their own village—Yrdyk—choosing a life isolation and endogamy instead.

From Slate • Jul. 17, 2017

Along with the exogamy of many tribes there is among other savages a system of endogamy, described by MacLennan; this is the prohibition of marriage between different clans.

From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste