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norm of legitimacy

Definition of Norm of Legitimacy

(noun) The custom that children should not be born outside of marriage.

Example of Norm of Legitimacy

  • The use of term bastard as an insult reinforces the norm of legitimacy.

Norm of Legitimacy Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: norm of le·git·i·ma·cy

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /nORm uhv li-jIt-uh-muh-see/
  • British English – /nAWm UHv li-jIt-i-muh-see/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /nɔrm ʌv ləˈʤɪtəməsi/
  • British English – /nɔːm ɒv lɪˈʤɪtɪməsi/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: norms of legitimacy
  • The norm of legitimacy functions to assure inheritance rights and social support systems such as extended family.

Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Cite the Definition of  Norm of legitimacy

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “norm of legitimacy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/norm-of-legitimacy/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

norm of legitimacy. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/norm-of-legitimacy/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “norm of legitimacy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/norm-of-legitimacy/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“norm of legitimacy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/norm-of-legitimacy/>.