What does conjugality mean?
Conjugality is a formal, uncommon noun for the state of being married or the marital union itself. Its clearest use is in legal, theological, historical, or analytical writing, where it treats marriage as a status, institution, or relationship rather than focusing on the ceremony or the feelings of the spouses. The word can describe the fact of being spouses, the legal bond of marriage, or a particular marriage considered in that context. It should not be confused with conjugation, which is the grammatical term for the inflection of verbs. Conjugality also appears in discussions of family law and the legal or social obligations associated with marriage. Because both conjugacy and the more familiar marriage exist, this term is mainly useful when a writer wants a formal or analytical label. It is also notable for its compact form, which distinguishes the institution or condition of marriage from the act of marrying.
nounThe state of being married; matrimony or the marital union.
- The state or condition of being married; matrimony.
"Legal scholars debated the role of conjugality in the distribution of marital property."
"The ceremony affirmed their conjugality before family and friends."
"Legal historians compared conjugalities formed under different legal systems."
The plural is regular in form but uncommon because conjugality is normally used as an abstract noun.
"Legal historians compared conjugalities formed under different legal systems."
Conjugality reaches back to a Latin word meaning both “to marry” and “to yoke together”: even the name carries the old image of two lives joined.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does conjugality come from?
Conjugality was formed in English from conjugal and the suffix -ity. Conjugal belongs to a family of English words derived from Latin coniugalis, meaning “of or pertaining to marriage,” which in turn comes from coniugare, “to marry” or “to yoke together.” The same Latin foundation underlies conjugate, conjugacy, and conjugation.
How conjugality is actually used
Rare and formal, occurring chiefly in legal, theological, historical, and academic prose. It normally denotes marriage as a status or institution rather than the ceremony of getting married.