Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

levirate marriage

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.43 in modern English

Syllables: levi-rate -mar-riage
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A marriage in which a widow marries her late husband's brother in order to maintain the family community.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Levirate marriage protects a levir's sexual property and a dead man's entitlement. The former, however, serves the latter."

Etymology

From levirate + marriage, from Late Latin lēvir (“husband's brother”).

Word Breakdown

Root: lēvir

Usage

Inflected Forms

levirate marriages (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

levir sororate marriage

Questions

What does levirate marriage mean?: A marriage in which a widow marries her late husband's brother in order to maintain the family community.
Where does levirate marriage come from?: From levirate + marriage, from Late Latin lēvir (“husband's brother”).

How to pronounce levirate marriage

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