hypergamy
[ hahy-pur-guh-mee ]
noun
the practice among Hindu women of marrying into a caste at least as high as their own.
Origin of hypergamy
1Other words from hypergamy
- hy·per·ga·mous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for hypergamy
hypergamy
/ (haɪˈpɜːɡəmɪ) /
noun
anthropol a custom that forbids a woman to marry a man of lower social status
any marriage with a partner of higher social status
Origin of hypergamy
1C19: from hyper- + -gamy
Derived forms of hypergamy
- hypergamous, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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