levirate

American  

[lev-er-it, -uh-rayt, lee-ver-it, -vuh-rayt] / ˈlɛv ər ɪt, -əˌreɪt, ˈli vər ɪt, -vəˌreɪt /

noun

1. a marriage custom in which a man marries his brother's widow.

---

levirate British  

/ ˈlɛvɪrɪt /

noun

1. the practice, required by Old Testament law, of marrying the widow of one's brother

---

Other Word Forms

• leviratic
  adjective
• leviratical
  adjective

---

Etymology

Origin of levirate

First recorded in 1715–25; from Latin lēvir “husband's brother” (akin to Greek dāḗr, Sanskrit devar, Old English tācor ) + -ate ³

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

levirate

Several independent cases show that these communities practised so-called levirate unions.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2024

Practices such as the levirate, in which a young male marries his elder brother’s widow, were used widely by Inner Asian Steppe peoples and adopted by a number of early Korean ruling families.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Consequently we cannot, as has already been the case with the so-called levirate, assign the practice definitely either to matripotestal or patripotestal customs, for father's and mother's authority are alike overruled.

From Kinship Organisations and Group Marriage in Australia by Northcote Whitridge Thomas

The levirate prevails, or has prevailed, among a great number of races, from the lowest to those considerably advanced.

From Primitive Love and Love-Stories by Henry Theophilus Finck

There is absolutely no trace of a levirate system by which the nearest male kinsman must marry his deceased brother's widow.

From The Manóbos of Mindanáo Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Volume XXIII, First Memoir by John M. Garvan

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---