bigamy

UK: /ˈbɪgəmi/ US: /ˈbɪgəmi/ ,(big′ə mē)

Inflections of 'bigamy' (n): npl: bigamies

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

big•a•my /ˈbɪgəmi/   n. [uncountable]

1. Law the act of marrying one person while being legally married to another:
   Bigamy is acceptable in that culture.

See -gam-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

big•a•my  (big′ə mē), n., pl. -mies. 

1. Law the crime of marrying while one has a wife or husband still living, from whom no valid divorce has been effected.
2. [Eccles.] any violation of canon law concerning marital status that would disqualify a person from receiving holy orders or from retaining or surpassing an ecclesiastical rank.

• Medieval Latin bigamia (Late Latin bigam(us) bigamous + Latin -ia -y³)
• Middle English bigamie 1200–50

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bigamy / ˈbɪɡəmɪ/ noun ( -mies)

1. the crime of marrying a person while one is still legally married to someone else

Etymology: 13th Century: via French from Medieval Latin bigamus; see bi-¹, -gamy

ˈbigamist noun

ˈbigamous adjective