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levirate marriage

Definition of Levirate Marriage

(noun) The custom of a wife marrying her husband’s brother if her husband dies.

Levirate Marriage Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: lev·i·rate mar·riage

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /lEv-uhr-ruht mAIR-ij/
  • British English – /lEE-vi-rit mAr-ij/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English: /ˈlɛvɚɹət ˈmɛrɪdʒ/
  • British English: /ˈliːvɪɹɪt ˈmæɹɪdʒ/

Usage Notes

Additional Information

Related Terms


Cite the Definition of Levirate Marriage

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “levirate marriage.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved December 14, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/levirate-marriage/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

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

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “levirate marriage.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed December 14, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/levirate-marriage/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“levirate marriage.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 14 Dec. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/levirate-marriage/>.