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exogamy

American  
[ek-sog-uh-mee] / ɛkˈsɒg ə mi /

noun

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

  2. Biology. the union of gametes of unrelated parents.


exogamy British  
/ ˌɛksəʊˈɡæmɪk, ɛkˈsɒɡəmɪ, ɛkˈsɒɡəməs /

noun

  1. sociol anthropol the custom or an act of marrying a person belonging to another tribe, clan, or similar social unit Compare endogamy

  2. biology fusion of gametes from parents that are not closely related

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of exogamy

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Communities were locally centred around a main patriline, were related to each other through the systematic practice of female exogamy.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

For under the conventions is a shrewd stockbreeder's intuition that blood lines are strengthened by a little exogamy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Spencer and Gillen leave the origin of exogamy an open question.

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

Lennan’s theory, exogamy is the result of scarcity of women, and implies polyandry and female kinship.

From Custom and Myth New Edition by Lang, Andrew

The difficulty of accounting for exogamy does not seem to have been overcome, and no attempt is made to explain the animal names of totem kins and phratries.

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

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