Table of Contents
Definition of Levirate Marriage
(noun) The custom of a wife marrying her husband’s brother if her husband dies.
Levirate Marriage Pronunciation
Syllabification: lev·i·rate mar·riage
Audio Pronunciation
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
- Plural: levirate marriages
- Levirate marriage is typically found in patrilineal societies, in which it preserves descent and property rights along the male line.
- A type of marriage.
- Also called levirate.
Additional Information
- Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “levirate” and “marriage” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- divorce
- endogamy
- exogamy
- extended family
- marriage
- monogamy
- open marriage
- polyamory
- polygamy
- polygyny
Cite the Definition of Levirate Marriage
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “levirate marriage.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 24, 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 April 24, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/levirate-marriage/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“levirate marriage.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/levirate-marriage/>.