wedlock | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

22 entries found.

Old English wedlac "pledge-giving, marriage vow," from wed + -lac, noun suffix meaning "actions or proceedings, practice," attested in about a dozen Old English compounds (feohtlac "warfare"), but this is the only surviving example. Suffix altered by folk etymology through association with lock (n.1). Meaning "condition of being married" is recorded from early 13c.

knowledge (n.)

early 12c., cnawlece "acknowledgment of a superior, honor, worship;" for first element see know (v.). The second element is obscure, perhaps from Scandinavian and cognate with the -lock "action, process," found in wedlock.

From late 14c. as "capacity for knowing, understanding; familiarity;" also "fact or condition of knowing, awareness of a fact;" also "news, notice, information; learning; organized body of facts or teachings." Sense of "sexual intercourse" is from c. 1400. Middle English also had a verb form, knoulechen "acknowledge" (c. 1200), later "find out about; recognize," and "to have sexual intercourse with" (c. 1300); compare acknowledge.

matrimony (n.)

c. 1300, matrimoine, "the married state, the relation of husband and wife, wedlock; the sacrament of marriage," from Old French matremoine "matrimony, marriage" and directly from Latin mātrimōnium "wedlock, marriage" (in plural "wives"), from mātrem (nominative māter) "mother" (see mother (n.1)) + -mōnium, suffix signifying "action, state, condition."

spousal (n.)

c. 1300, "a wedding ceremony, action of marrying; wedlock, condition of being espoused," from Anglo-French spousaille, Old French esposaille (see espousal). Earlier was spousage "marriage, wedlock" (mid-14c.).

spousage (n.)

"marriage, wedlock," mid-14c., from spouse (n.) + -age.

married (adj.)

"formally wedded, united in wedlock, having a spouse," late 14c., past-participle adjective from marry (v.).

love-child (n.)

"child born out of wedlock, child of illicit love," 1798, from love (n.) + child. Compare German Liebeskind. Earlier was love brat (17c.).

matrimonial (adj.)

mid-15c., "of or pertaining to marriage, connubial, nuptial," from Old French matrimonial (14c.) and directly from Late Latin matrimonialis, from Latin mātrimōnium "wedlock, marriage" (see matrimony). Earlier as a noun meaning "a marriage" (late 15c.). Related: Matrimonially.

connubial (adj.)

"pertaining to marriage," 1650s, from Latin connubialis, variant of conubialis "pertaining to wedlock," from conubium "marriage," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + nubere "to wed" (see nuptial). Related: Connubially.

hymeneal (adj.)

c. 1600, "of or relating to a marriage," with -al (1) + Hymen, Greek god of marriage. Compare Latin hymenaeus, from Greek hymenaios "belonging to wedlock;" also as a noun "wedding, wedding song." As a noun in English, "wedding hymn," from 1717.

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