exogamy

[ek-sog-uh-mee]

noun

marriage outside a specific tribe or similar social unit.Compare endogamy.
Biology. the union of gametes of unrelated parents.

Origin of exogamy

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

Related formsex·og·a·mous

[ek-sog-uh-muh s] /ɛkˈsɒg ə məs/, ex·o·gam·ic

[ek-suh-gam-ik] /ˌɛk səˈgæm ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for exogamy

Historical Examples of exogamy

See the authorities cited by Frazer in Totemism and Exogamy.
Introduction to the History of Religions
Crawford Howell Toy
Even in such cases we find transitions to the next form of exogamy.
Elements of Folk Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt
When capture disappeared, the exogamy to which it gave rise remained.
Elements of Folk Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt
This represents the exogamy which is associated with the totem.
Totem and Taboo
Sigmund Freud
Andrew Lang declared himself in agreement with this explanation of exogamy.
Totem and Taboo
Sigmund Freud

British Dictionary definitions for exogamy

exogamy

noun

sociol anthropol the custom or an act of marrying a person belonging to another tribe, clan, or similar social unitCompare endogamy
biology fusion of gametes from parents that are not closely related

Derived Formsexogamous (ɛkˈsɒɡəməs) or exogamic (ˌɛksəʊˈɡæmɪk), adjective

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

Word Origin and History for exogamy

1865, Modern Latin, literally "outside marriage," from exo- + -gamy. Related: Exogamous.

exogamy in Medicine

exogamy

[ĕk-sŏg′ə-mē]

Sexual reproduction by means of conjugation of two gametes of different ancestry, as in certain protozoan species.