bigamie

Noun

bigamy (countable and uncountable, plural bigamies)

1. The state of having two (legal or illegal) spouses simultaneously.
   • But now we may find in S. Margarets life, who it is that is Chriſtes wife: whereby we are ſo much wiſer than we were before. But looke in the life of S. Katharine, in the golden legend, and you ſhall find that he was alſo married to S. Katharine, and that our ladie made the marriage, &c. An...1584, “The Storie of Saint Margaret Prooued to be Both Ridiculous and Impious in Euerie Point”, in The Discoverie of Witchcraft, […], London: […] William Brome, →OCLC, book XV (The Exposition of...
2. (historical) A second marriage after the death of a spouse.
   • Bigamie was a counterplea (deuiſed at yͤ Councell of Lyons, vpon mislike of ſecond marriage) to be obiected, when the priſoner demaundeth the benefite of the Clergie, to wit, his Book, as namely to ſay, that he which demaundeth the priuiledge of the Clergie, was married to ſuch a woman at ſuch a...1624, [John Rastell], “Bigamie”, in Les Termes de la Ley: Or, Certaine Difficult and Obscure VVords and Termes of the Common Lawes of This Realme Expounded. […], new edition, London: […] Company of...

   Synonyms:

   deuterogamy, digamy