Log in or Sign up
  1. bigamy love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. The criminal offense of marrying one person while still legally married to another.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. Literally, double marriage; remarriage during the existence of a former marriage; in law, the offense of having two or more wives or husbands at the same time. To constitute the offense, which by statute law is a felony, it is necessary, by the law of many jurisdictions, that the accused should have actual or constructive knowledge that the first wife or husband was still living when the second one was taken, and that the second marriage should have been one solemnized under the forms of law, and not merely an informal marriage resting on the contract of the parties, or their holding out each other to the world as husband and wife. Where these elements of knowledge and of formality are wanting, the second marriage is still generally invalid, but not bigamous in the criminal sense.
  2. n. . Second marriage; remarriage of a widow or widower. In the early church, before the establishment of clerical celibacy, such remarriage on the part of a man was generally regarded as an impediment to holy orders. Marriage with a widow is called bigamy by Shakspere in Richard III., iii. 7.

Wiktionary

  1. n. The state of having two (legal or illegal) spouses simultaneously
  2. n. ecclesiastical A second marriage

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Law) The offense of marrying one person when already legally married to another.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. the offense of marrying someone while you have a living spouse from whom no valid divorce has occurred
  2. n. having two spouses at the same time

Etymologies

  1. Middle English bigamie, from Old French, from Medieval Latin bigamia, from Late Latin bigamus, twice married : Latin bi-, two; see bi-1 + Greek gamos, marriage; see -gamous. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “As such, what we call bigamy, polygamy, etc. would be more like general partnerships.”

    (Cartoon) - Constitution as Word Jumble - TobyToons – dia0420’s Diary - RedState

  • “The present usage in criminal law of applying the term bigamy to that which is more strictly called polygamy is, according to Blackstone (Lib.”

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 2: Assizes-Browne

  • “Although bigamy is illegal in the UK, those who have moved here after marrying more than one woman in Islamic countries are allowed to remain in polygamous partnerships – and can even claim benefits for their additional spouses.”

    Muslim peer claims UK politicians are scared of discussing polygamy

  • “Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal.”

    Archive 2008-02-01

  • “In Britain, bigamy is punishable by up to seven years in prison.”

    Archive 2008-02-01

  • “But the institution of bigamy is not rare and is commonly referred to in popular culture.”

    Religion in Mexico?

  • “Polygamy is the religious or cultural practice of a person having more than one spouse, which is defined as bigamy under law.”

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com

  • “Domestic happiness then ceased for the poor lady; rumours of the worst nature got abroad; her little French husband, instead of being as for twelve years before he had been, her shadow, her slave, and her admirer, became outrageous and cruel, and after the horrid word bigamy had been launched against her, she never after held up her head.”

    Rattlin the Reefer

  • “Unless "bigamy" can be considered a medical specialty.”

    A Six-Legged Marriage

  • “Shocked and outraged, the community abruptly abandoned its “noble” project of Americanizing the official, on the grounds that some offending Chinese traits, such as bigamy, were too ingrained to be extirpated.”

    The Romance of China: Excursions to China in U.S. Culture: 1776-1876

Show 10 more examples...

Comments

No comments yet...

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

Tweets

Looking for tweets for bigamy.

‘bigamy’ has been looked up 1618 times, added to 8 lists, and has a Scrabble score of 14.