morganatic

American  

[mawr-guh-nat-ik] / ˌmɔr gəˈnæt ɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to a form of marriage in which a person of high rank, as a member of the nobility, marries someone of lower station with the stipulation that neither the low-ranking spouse nor their children, if any, will have any claim to the titles or entailed property of the high-ranking partner.

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morganatic British  

/ ˌmɔːɡəˈnætɪk /

adjective

1. of or designating a marriage between a person of high rank and a person of low rank, by which the latter is not elevated to the higher rank and any issue have no rights to the succession of the higher party's titles, property, etc

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Other Word Forms

• morganatically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of morganatic

1720–30; < New Latin morganāticus (adj.), for Medieval Latin phrase ( mātrimōnium ) ad morganāticam (marriage) to the extent of morning-gift ( morganātica representing Germanic *morgangeba (feminine); compare Old English morgengiefu gift from husband to wife on day after wedding)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

morganatic

Edward proposed to the idea of a morganatic marriage in which Simpson would not become queen consort and their potential children would be barred from inheriting the throne following his death but was ultimately unsuccessful.

From Fox News ● May 16, 2020

The King proposed a morganatic marriage - in which he would be King but she not the Queen - but it was rejected by the prime minister and other Commonwealth governments.

From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2017

His secret morganatic marriage a decade ago scarcely decreased the couple's anxiety.

From Time Magazine Archive

The marriage was morganatic; i.e., neither Mary Liliane nor any of her children could aspire to royal standing.

From Time Magazine Archive

In Germany a woman of high rank may make a morganatic alliance with a man of inferior position.

From Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World by Hyacinthe Ringrose