Levirate Law — From Latin levir, a husband s brother, the name of an ancient custom ordained by Moses, by which, when an Israelite died without issue, his surviving brother was required to marry the widow, so as to continue his brother s family through the… … Easton's Bible 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 — 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 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 — 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 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
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 — lev•i•rate [[t]ˈlɛv ər ɪt, əˌreɪt, ˈli vər ɪt, vəˌreɪt[/t]] n. jud Judaism. the custom of marriage between a man and his brother s widow, required in Biblical law under certain circumstances. Deut. 25:5–10 • Etymology: 1715–25; < L lēvir… … From formal English to slang
