wedlock

[ wed-lok ]
See synonyms for wedlock on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the state of marriage; matrimony.

Origin of wedlock

1
before 1100; Middle English wedlok,Old English wedlāc literally, a pledging, equivalent to wed pledge (see wed) + -lāc verbal noun suffix

Words Nearby wedlock

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How to use wedlock in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wedlock

wedlock

/ (ˈwɛdlɒk) /


noun
  1. the state of being married

  2. born out of wedlock born when one's parents are not legally married

Origin of wedlock

1
Old English wedlāc, from wedd pledge + -lāc, suffix denoting activity, perhaps from lāc game, battle (related to Gothic laiks dance, Old Norse leikr)

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with wedlock

wedlock

see out of wedlock.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.