What does intermarry mean?
Intermarry is a verb meaning to marry someone from outside one's own social, religious, ethnic, tribal, or other defined group. It is used when discussing relationships across group boundaries, particularly in historical, genealogical, and anthropological contexts. For example, a sentence might describe how two communities intermarried over several generations, gradually creating family ties and a more integrated society. The term can carry a historical or sociological tone, but it is not inherently negative; its meaning depends largely on the groups and period being discussed. Intermarry differs from interbreed, which ordinarily concerns biological reproduction rather than marriage. It also appears in the related noun intermarriage, meaning the custom or practice of marrying outside one's group. Together, these forms are useful for describing marriage as a social boundary and for examining how families, communities, and identities interact.
verbTo marry someone from outside one's own social, religious, ethnic, or other defined group. It can also refer generally to the practice or custom of marrying across group boundaries.
- To marry a person from another social, religious, ethnic, tribal, or otherwise defined group.
"Over generations, the two communities intermarried and gradually became closely connected."
"The merchant families intermarried with landowning families throughout the region."
"The study examines how exogamous communities intermarried over a period of several generations."
The word is a picture in miniature: inter- means 'between,' and intermarry means to marry across the boundary between groups.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does intermarry come from?
Intermarry was formed in English from the prefix inter-, meaning 'between' or 'among,' and the verb marry. The prefix comes from Latin inter, while marry ultimately derives from Old French marier and Latin maritare, related to maritus, meaning 'married.' The marriage-related elements belong to a wider Latin family that also includes marital and marriage.
Related word forms
How intermarry is actually used
The word is most common in anthropology, history, genealogy, and discussion of social or religious groups. It is often used intransitively with 'with,' as in 'intermarry with another community.'
Easily confused with intermarry
Intermarry refers to marriage across social or group boundaries, whereas interbreed usually refers to the biological reproduction of offspring from genetically distinct populations.