bigamy

[ big-uh-mee ]

noun

, plural big·a·mies.

1. Law. the crime of marrying while one has a spouse still living, from whom no valid divorce has been effected.
2. Ecclesiastical. any violation of canon law concerning marital status that would disqualify a person from receiving holy orders or from retaining or surpassing an ecclesiastical rank.

bigamy

/ ˈbɪɡəmɪ /

noun

1. the crime of marrying a person while one is still legally married to someone else

Derived Forms

• ˈbigamously, adverb
• ˈbigamous, adjective
• ˈbigamist, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bigamy¹

1200–50; Middle English bigamie < Medieval Latin bigamia ( Late Latin bigam ( us ) bigamous + Latin -ia -y ³ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of bigamy¹

C13: via French from Medieval Latin bigamus ; see bi- ¹, -gamy

Example Sentences

But with no-fault divorces, a couple could split amiably, without accusing or proving anything like bigamy or fraud or abandonment.

From Los Angeles Times

Rachel’s divorce had not been legally granted at the time of their wedding, so Rachel Robards was still married to her first husband when she married Andrew Jackson, a crime known as bigamy.

From Literature

His bigamy was revealed by a relative through Facebook.

From BBC

Plaintiffs said that the authors of the Mississippi Constitution in 1890 stripped voting rights for crimes they thought Black people were more likely to commit, including forgery, larceny and bigamy.

From Seattle Times

The voting ban affects Mississippi residents convicted of specific felonies, including murder, forgery and bigamy.

From Seattle Times