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levirate
[ lev-er-it, -uh-reyt, lee-ver-it, -vuh-reyt ]
noun
- a marriage custom in which a man marries his brother's widow.
levirate
/ ˌlɛvɪˈrætɪk; ˈlɛvɪrɪt /
noun
- the practice, required by Old Testament law, of marrying the widow of one's brother
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Derived Forms
- leviratic, adjective
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Other Words From
- lev·i·rat·ic [lev-, uh, -, rat, -ik, lee-v, uh, -], levi·rati·cal adjective
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of levirate1
C18: from Latin lēvir a husband's brother
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Example Sentences
The Levirate (from "Levir," a brother-in-law, in Sanscrit dvar) is also found operating as a stringent injunction.
From Project Gutenberg
By a Levirate marriage if a man died without heirs his remaining brother married his widow and raised up heirs to him.
From Project Gutenberg
There is absolutely no trace of a levirate system by which the nearest male kinsman must marry his deceased brother's widow.
From Project Gutenberg
We are therefore reduced to the levirate as a proof of the former existence of group marriage.
From Project Gutenberg
He regards this rather unfortunately named custom of the levirate as having its root in group marriage.
From Project Gutenberg
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