Joynture

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Land or income legally settled on a wife to provide for her living after her husband dies
2. An archaic marriage settlement giving a widow property or revenue to live on once her husband has died
3. A provision of estate made in favour of a wife, to be enjoyed by her when her husband is no longer alive

Etymology: Joynture is an older spelling of "jointure," a term from English property law for a settlement of land or money on a wife, to be enjoyed by her after her husband's death. It comes from Old French "jointure," meaning a joining, which derives from Latin "iunctura," from "iungere," to join. The legal idea is literal: the widow's provision was joined to the husband's estate in the marriage agreement. The word's sibling is "joint." Both descend from the same Old French verb "joindre," so the body joint and the legal jointure are close relatives. The "oy" spelling reflects how Anglo-French writers rendered the "oi" sound in Middle English texts.