Exogamy
/ɪˈzɒɡəmi/noun
The custom or rule of marrying outside one’s own social, cultural, or kinship group.
Did you know?The term was coined in 19th-century anthropology to describe marriage rules that could function as powerful social taboos, sometimes determining who was considered ritually or legally eligible to wed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*eǵhs
“Out; outside”
Ancient Greek
Greek
éxō
“Outside or outward”
Ancient Greek
Greek
gámos
“Marriage or wedding”
19th Century
English
exogamy
“Marriage outside one’s own group; coined in anthropological writing”
Modern English
English
exogamy
“A social custom or rule requiring marriage beyond one’s own group”