New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
Levirate — Lev i*rate (l[e^]v [i^]*r[asl]t), Leviratical Lev i*rat ic*al ( r[a^]t [i^]*kal), a. [L. levir a husband s brother, brother in law; akin to Gr. dah r: cf. F. l[ e]virat leviration.] Of, pertaining to, or in accordance with, a law of the ancient… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
levirate — (n.) custom by which the male next of kin of a dead man was bound to marry his widow, 1725, from L. levir brother in law (from PIE *daiwer husband s brother ) + ATE (Cf. ate) (2) … Etymology dictionary
levirate — [lev′ə rit, lev′ərāt΄; lē′vərit, lē′vərāt΄] n. [L levir, husband s brother, brother in law (< * daiwer < IE * dāiwēr > Sans dēvár, Gr daēr, OE tacor) + ATE2] a custom of the Jews in Biblical times by which a dead man s brother was… … English World dictionary
levirate — leviratic /lev euh rat ik, lee veuh /, leviratical, adj. /lev euhr it, euh rayt , lee veuhr it, veuh rayt /, n. the custom of marriage by a man with his brother s widow, such marriage required in Biblical law if the deceased was childless. Deut.… … Universalium
levirate — 1. adjective Having to do with ones husbands brother. 2. noun a) A marriage between a widow and her deceased husbands brother or, sometimes, heir. And it is, he says, impossible not to believe that the Levirate that is, the practice of marrying a … Wiktionary
levirate — [ li:vɪrət, lɛv ] noun (usu. the levirate) a custom of the ancient Hebrews and some other peoples by which a man may be obliged to marry his brother s widow. Origin C18: from L. levir brother in law + ate1 … English new terms dictionary
Levirate marriage — is a type of marriage in which a woman marries one of her husband s brothers after her husband s death, if there were no children, in order to continue the line of the dead husband. The term is a derivative of the Latin word levir , meaning… … Wikipedia
LEVIRATE MARRIAGE AND ḤALIẒAḤ. — Definition Levirate marriage (Heb. יִבּוּם; yibbum) is the marriage between a widow whose husband died without offspring (the yevamah) and the brother of the deceased (the yavam or levir), as prescribed in Deuteronomy 25:5–6: „ If brethren dwell… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
Levirate law — An injunction that if a married man died without children, it was the duty of a brother or other near relative to marry the widow, and the son of the union would be reckoned to be the son of the first husband (Deut. 25:5–10). The law did not… … Dictionary of the Bible
levirate and sororate — Customs or laws regulating marriage following the death of a spouse, or in some cases during the lifetime of the spouse. The levirate decrees a dead man s brother to be the widow s preferred marriage partner. In ancient Hebrew society, this… … Universalium
