Bigamy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɪɡəmi/

Definitions

1. The condition of having two simultaneous marital relationships that may contravene legal standards is termed as a specific marital situation
2. The occurrence of maintaining two marriages simultaneously, which typically violates legal or social norms, represents a complex marital scenario
3. The act or condition of entering into one marriage while still legally married to another person

Etymology: Bigamy is built from two pieces that each carry a clear idea: "bis," the Latin for "twice," and the Greek "gamos," meaning "marriage." Late Latin combined them into "bigamus," describing someone married twice over, and then formed the noun "bigamia" from it. The Latin form went on to be the source of the words in Middle French and Anglo-Norman, and the English term came into Middle English from there, in the same family of forms. Those Middle English uses are worth noticing. The earliest senses covered more than criminal marriage: the word could also mean a second marriage in general, or marrying a widow or widower. Only later did it narrow to the sense of holding two spouses at once that is illegal today. The English word is easy to take apart because its parts are transparent: "bi-" plus "-gamy," the same "-gamy" found in words like "monogamy." That is why the term is so easy to decode, even though it began as a fairly specific Latin coinage for a legal and religious offence.