levirate

enUK

lev·i·rate

L0138600 (lĕv′ər-ĭt, -ə-rāt′, lē′vər-ĭt, -və-rāt′)n. The practice of marrying the widow of one's childless brother to maintain his line, as required by ancient Hebrew law.

[From Latin lēvir, husband's brother; see daiwer- in Indo-European roots.]

lev′i·rat′ic (-răt′ĭk), lev′i·rat′i·cal adj.

levirate

(ˈlɛvɪrɪt) n (Bible) the practice, required by Old Testament law, of marrying the widow of one's brother[C18: from Latin lēvir a husband's brother] leviratic, ˌleviˈratical adj

lev•i•rate

(ˈlɛv ər ɪt, -əˌreɪt, ˈli vər ɪt, -vəˌreɪt)

n. Judaism. the custom of marriage between a man and his brother's widow, required in Biblical law under certain circumstances. Deut. 25:5–10. [1715–25; < Latin lēvir husband's brother (akin to Old English tācor, Greek dāḗr, Skt devar) + -ate³] lev•i•rat•ic (ˌlɛv əˈræt ɪk, ˌli və-) lev`i•rat′i•cal, adj.

levirate

the custom under the Mosaic code (Deut. xxv: 5-10) that required a widow to marry her dead husband’s brother if she had no sons. — levirate, leviratical, adj.See also: Judaism

Thesaurus

Noun

levirate - the biblical institution whereby a man must marry the widow of his childless brother in order to maintain the brother's lineinstitution - a custom that for a long time has been an important feature of some group or society; "the institution of marriage"; "the institution of slavery"; "he had become an institution in the theater"

Translations

lévirat

levirate

levirate:

see marriagemarriage,
socially sanctioned union that reproduces the family. In all societies the choice of partners is generally guided by rules of exogamy (the obligation to marry outside a group); some societies also have rules of endogamy (the obligation to marry within a group).
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Levirate

a marriage custom by which a widow was obliged or had the right to marry the brother of her deceased husband. Levirate, a vestige of group marriage, was widespread among many peoples during the period in which the clan system prevailed. It survived for a long time among a number of peoples in the Caucasus and Middle Asia and among the Jews (during the disintegration of the clan system and the emergence of class societies). In class societies the continuation of levirate marriage was encouraged by the custom of bride-price, by which a woman for whom the bride-price had been paid was considered to be the property of the clan or family that had bought her.

REFERENCES

Kosven, M. O. Ocherki istorii pervobytnoi kul’tury. Moscow, 1953. Pages 111–12.
Shternberg, L. Ia. Sem’ia i rod u narodov severo-vostochnoi Azii. Leningrad, 1933.

levirate

lev·i·rate

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levirate:

Levirate

REFERENCES

levirate

Words related to levirate

noun the biblical institution whereby a man must marry the widow of his childless brother in order to maintain the brother's line

Related Words