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bigamy

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

bigamy , crime of marrying during the continuance of a lawful marriage. Bigamy is not committed if a prior marriage has been terminated by a divorce or a decree of nullity of marriage . In the United States if a husband or wife is absent and unheard of for seven (or in some states five) years and not known to be alive, he or she is presumed dead, and remarriage by the other spouse is not bigamous. It is not necessarily a defense to a charge of bigamy that the offending party believed in good faith that he was divorced or that his previous marriage was not lawful.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1878 that plurality of wives (polygamy), as originally permitted by the Mormon religion, violated criminal law and was not defensible as an exercise of religious liberty. The Latter-day Saints renounced polygamy in 1890, but the practice has persisted among some, although it has been rarely prosecuted.

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bigamy

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | Copyright

bigamy.
1. A ‘second marriage’ contracted by a person whose ‘first’ husband or wife is still alive, when the ‘first’ marriage has not been declared null.

2. In older usage the term denotes a second marriage after the death of one of the parties of the first marriage. See also DIGAMY.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "bigamy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "bigamy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-bigamy.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "bigamy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-bigamy.html

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bigamy

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

big·a·my / ˈbigəmē/ • n. the act of going through a marriage ceremony while already married to another person. DERIVATIVES: big·a·mist / -mist/ n. big·a·mous / -məs/ adj.

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bigamy

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

bigamy XIII. — (O)F. bigamie, f. bigame (whence ME. bigam) — late L. bigamus. f. BI- + Gr. -gamos married.
Hence bigamist XVII, bigamous XIX.

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T. F. HOAD. "bigamy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "bigamy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bigamy.html

T. F. HOAD. "bigamy." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bigamy.html

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bigamy

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

bigamy •fumy, gloomy, plumy, rheumy, roomie, roomy, spumy •excuse-me • mushroomy • perfumy •Brummie, chummy, crumby, crummy, dummy, gummy, lumme, mummy, plummy, rummy, scrummy, scummy, slummy, tummy, yummy •academy • sodomy • blasphemy •infamy •bigamy, polygamy, trigamy •endogamy, exogamy, heterogamy, homogamy, misogamy, monogamy •hypergamy • alchemy • Ptolemy •anomie • antinomy •agronomy, astronomy, autonomy, bonhomie, Deuteronomy, economy, gastronomy, heteronomy, metonymy, physiognomy, taxonomy •thingummy • Laramie • sesame •blossomy •anatomy, atomy •hysterectomy, mastectomy, tonsillectomy, vasectomy •epitome •dichotomy, lobotomy, tracheotomy, trichotomy •colostomy • bosomy •squirmy, thermae, wormy •taxidermy

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	A WIFE IN COMMON SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS WOMAN CHARGED WITH BIGAMY.(LOCAL) Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 4/12/1998
	Across U.S., bigamy victims lobby f or creation of marriage database.(Front) Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 7/8/2006
	Charges of bigamy are rare in Hampton Roads; two this year.(Local) Newspaper article from: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA); 9/30/2011