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endogamous

[ en-dog-uh-muhs ]

adjective

  1. of or relating to the practice of allowing marriage only within a specific tribe, caste, ethnic or religious group, or other social unit:

    The Bosnian War restricted social relations between different ethnic groups, intensifying endogamous practices in some villages.



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Word History and Origins

Origin of endogamous1

First recorded in 1860–65; endo- ( def ) + -gamous ( def ); coined in by Scottish anthropologist and ethnologist John Ferguson McLennan (1827–1881)

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Example Sentences

The same community cannot be 'both exogamous and endogamous,' as some suppose.

These communities may or may not be exogamous, they may even be endogamous.

And while thus the "gens" was strictly exogamous, the tribe comprising an aggregate of "gentes" was equally endogamous.

The least doubt in the strictly independent existence of exogamous and endogamous tribes was considered a frivolous sacrilege.

They thought the camel to be the agent of the disease.50 A woman amongst the same people contracted an endogamous marriage.

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end of the lineendogamy