levirate

American  

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

noun

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

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levirate British  

/ ˌlɛvɪˈrætɪk, ˈlɛvɪrɪt /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived 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

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

The nearest resemblance to the levirate in Greece is the occasional custom at Sparta, mentioned already, of a wife being “commissioned” to bear children by another man into the family of her husband.

From On The Structure of Greek Tribal Society: An Essay by Seebohm, Hugh E. (Hugh Exton)

In the family marriage is sacred, and traces of polyandry and of the levirate, surviving as late as the epic poems, were regarded as things that need to be explained away.

From Myth, Ritual and Religion — Volume 1 by Lang, Andrew

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