levirate

noun

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

Roots

levirlevir- · Latin · husband's brother, brother-in-law atus-ate · Latin · associated with

Synonyms & related words for levirate

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Words related to levirate

Explore words related to levirate — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include leviratical, sororate, punalua, deuterogamy, deuterogamist, extradotal, unhusbanded, polygamize. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does levirate come from?

The word levirate breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: levir, from Latin levir (“husband's brother, brother-in-law”); and -ate, from Latin atus (“associated with”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.