exogamy

[ ek-sog-uh-mee ]

/ ɛkˈsɒg ə mi /

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noun

marriage outside a specific tribe or similar social unit.Compare endogamy.

Biology. the union of gametes of unrelated parents.

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Origin of exogamy

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

OTHER WORDS FROM exogamy

ex·og·a·mous

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

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

Words nearby exogamy

exoenzyme, exoergic, exoerythrocytic, ex off., ex officio, exogamy, exogenetic, exogenous, exome, exon, exonarthex

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use exogamy in a sentence

The tribal organization of this period was bound up with an important institution, exogamy, which originated in the totemic age.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt
Totemic exogamy clearly represents the earliest form of marriage restriction found in custom or law.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt
This form of exogamy does not appear to occur except where the divisions of the tribe are not more than two in number.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt
Both forms of exogamy, the unlimited and the limited, observe the same law with respect to the group affiliation of children.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt

Thus arises a limited exogamy with indirect maternal or paternal descent, as represented in diagram III.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt

British Dictionary definitions for exogamy

exogamy

/ (ɛkˈsɒɡəmɪ) /

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 forms of exogamy

exogamous (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