syneisactism

Noun

syneisaktism (uncountable)

1. (historical) The practice, from early Christian until mediaeval times, of a man and woman living together in a non-legalised relationship while observing vows of chastity.
   • Elizabeth Clark argues cogently that syneisaktism provided a couple with a rare opportunity for friendship between the sexes.[…]John Chrysostom, for example, who wrote two treatises against syneisaktism, was also a powerful advocate for female virginity, which he occasionally presented as a means...1993, Dyan Elliott, Spiritual Marriage: Sexual Abstinence in Medieval Wedlock, Princeton University Press, page 34

   Synonyms:

   spiritual marriage