morganatic

[ mawr-guh-nat-ik ]

/ ˌmɔr gəˈnæt ɪk /

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adjective

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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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)

OTHER WORDS FROM morganatic

mor·ga·nat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby morganatic

Moreton Bay bug, Moreton Bay fig, Morgagni, Morgain le Fay, Morgan, morganatic, Morgan City, Morgan Hill, morganite, Morgan, J. Pierpont, Morgan le Fay

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

How to use morganatic in a sentence

Weber, however, had spoken of a morganatic marriage, and fearful pressure might be brought to bear.
The Hosts of the Air|Joseph A. Altsheler
Do you understand that it was a great honor he offered Mademoiselle Lannes, to make her his morganatic wife?
The Hosts of the Air|Joseph A. Altsheler
It is only the rare man who can conceal enough of his income from his wife to pay for a morganatic affair.
Damn!|Henry Louis Mencken
Famous dancer and morganatic wife of Prince Adalbert of Prussia.
Memoirs of the Duchesse De Dino|Duchesse De Dino

They become in a sense morganatic wives, lacking only the name, and often not deserving less respect than if they had it.
Artist and Model|Ren de Pont-Jest

British Dictionary definitions for morganatic

morganatic

/ (ˌmɔːɡəˈnætɪk) /

adjective

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

Derived forms of morganatic

morganatically, adverb

Word Origin for morganatic

C18: from the Medieval Latin phrase mātrimōnium ad morganāticum marriage based on the morning-gift (a token present after consummation representing the husband's only liability); morganātica, ultimately from Old High German morgan morning; compare Old English morgengiefu morning-gift

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