levirate
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
As for the levirate, that is another very wide-spread custom which shows an utter disregard of woman's preference and choice.
From Primitive Love and Love-Stories by Finck, Henry Theophilus
No arguments for the prior existence of group marriage can be founded on the levirate, any more than an argument for primitive communism can be founded on other laws of inheritance.
From Kinship Organisations and Group Marriage in Australia by Thomas, Northcote Whitridge
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 Finck, Henry Theophilus
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
