bigamy Meaning & Definition
What Does Bigamy Mean?
Bigamy is used as a noun meaning the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another.
Word Facts for Bigamy
| Part of speech | noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbi-gə-mē/ |
| Syllables | 3 |
| Plural | bigamies |
Bigamy Definition (Noun)
- the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another
was accused of bigamy
Synonyms of Bigamy
The source does not list synonyms for this entry.
Bigamy synonyms and antonyms →Bigamy in a Sentence
was accused of bigamy
Word Forms & Grammar
big·a·mist noun
bigamies
bigamist
bigamists
bigamy
bigamy (countable and uncountable, plural bigamies)
Origin of Bigamy
Origin 1: Middle English bigamie, from Medieval Latin bigamia, from Latin bi- + Late Latin -gamia -gamy
Origin 2: From Middle English bigamie (“having two spouses simultaneously, bigamy; second marriage; marrying a widow or widower”) [and other forms],[1] from Anglo-Norman bigamie and Middle French bigamie (“having two spouses simultaneously; second marriage; marrying a widow or widower”) (modern French bigamie (“bigamy”)), and its etymon Late Latin bigamia (“having two spouses simultaneously; second marriage”), from Late Latin, Latin bigamus (“bigamous”) + -ia (variant of -ius (suffix forming adjectives from nouns)).[2] Bigamus is derived from bis (“twice, two times”) + Ancient Greek γάμος (gámos, “marriage; matrimony”) (from Proto-Indo-European *ǵem- (“to marry”)). The English word is analysable as bi- + -gamy.
First Known Use
14th century
Bigamy Pronunciation
Bigamy is pronounced /ˈbi-gə-mē/ and has 3 syllables, with the main stress on the first syllable (bi).