Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bigamy

/ˈbɪɡəmi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.39 in modern English

Syllables
bi-ga-my
IPA
/ˈbɪɡəmi/
14
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The state of having two (legal or illegal) spouses simultaneously.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A second marriage after the death of a spouse.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English bigamie (“having two spouses simultaneously, bigamy; second marriage; marrying a widow or widower”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman bigamie and Middle French bigamie (“having two spouses simultaneously; second marriage; marrying a widow or widower”) (modern French bigamie (“bigamy”)), and its etymon Late Latin bigamia (“having two spouses simultaneously; second marriage”), from Late Latin, Latin bigamus (“bigamous”) + -ia (variant of -ius (suffix forming adjectives from nouns)). Bigamus is derived from bis (“twice, two times”) + Ancient Greek γάμος (gámos, “marriage; matrimony”) (from Proto-Indo-European *ǵem- (“to marry”)). The English word is analysable as bi- + -gamy.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbɪɡəmi/
  • British English: /ˈbɪɡəmi/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

bigama bigame bigamic bigamize bigamized bigamous bigamus polyamory

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce bigamy?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɪɡəmi/.
What does bigamy mean?
The state of having two (legal or illegal) spouses simultaneously.
Where does bigamy come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce bigamy

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bigamy”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɪɡəmi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bigamy”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “bigamy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.