exogamy
|ex-o-ga-my|
🇺🇸
/ˈɛksəɡəmi/
🇬🇧
/ˈeksəɡəmi/
marriage outside one's group
Etymology
'exogamy' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'exogamos'/'exogamia', where 'exo-' meant 'outside' and 'gamos' (or 'gamos') meant 'marriage'.
'exogamy' passed into Late Latin as 'exogamia' and was adopted into English as a technical term (especially in anthropology and biology) in the 19th century.
Initially, it meant 'marriage outside the group', and over time it has retained that core meaning while expanding into biological usage referring to mating between unrelated individuals.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the social rule or practice of marrying outside one's own social group, clan, or tribe.
Anthropologists studied exogamy in the region to understand alliance-building between clans.
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Noun 2
(Biology) The practice or tendency of mating with unrelated or genetically distant individuals (opposite of inbreeding/endogamy).
Exogamy can increase genetic diversity in a population and reduce the risk of inherited disorders.
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Last updated: 2025/12/06 19:48