What does sororate mean?
A sororate is an anthropological term for a customary marriage arrangement in which a man may marry more than one woman from the same family, especially sisters. In some definitions, the focus is specifically on a man marrying the sisters of his wife; in others, it describes a broader system in which women related as sisters marry the same man. The word is therefore a description of a particular kinship and marriage rule, rather than a general word for polygamy. Its use is specialized, appearing chiefly in anthropology, social history, and discussions of customary law. Outside specialist literature, the term can sound unusual because such arrangements are not part of mainstream modern marriage customs in Britain or the United States. Its Latinate relatives, including soror and sorority, all point back to the basic idea of sisterhood. Understanding the distinction from sorority is also important: the former concerns a marriage arrangement, while the latter simply names a group of sisters.
nounIn anthropology, a customary marriage arrangement or system in which a man may marry more than one woman from the same family, especially the sisters of his wife.
- A customary marriage arrangement in which a man marries more than one woman from the same family, especially the sisters of his wife.
"The anthropologist examined the community's sororate, a marriage system in which a man could marry several sisters."
"The anthropologist explained how the sororate allowed a man to marry the sisters of his wife."
"Records from the historical study describe the practice as a sororate marriage system."
The plural is grammatical but rarely needed because the word usually occurs in specialized discussion.
"The author compares sororates documented in several societies."
A sororate makes sibling ties part of a community's marriage rules.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sororate come from?
Sororate entered English in the 19th century from French sororate, ultimately derived from Latin soror, meaning “sister.” The Latin noun belongs to the same Indo-European family represented in English by sorority and sororal. Its cognates preserve the central idea of sisterhood, while sororate was adopted as a specialized anthropological term for a marriage arrangement involving sisters.
Related word forms
How sororate is actually used
Rare and technical in English, chiefly used in anthropology, social history, and discussions of customary law. It should be used descriptively and with care when discussing particular communities, since sororate arrangements vary considerably and should not be treated as interchangeable with polygamy in general.
Easily confused with sororate
A sorority is a group of sisters, whereas a sororate is a customary marriage arrangement involving sisters or women from the same family.