endogamy

noun

en·​dog·​a·​my en-ˈdä-gə-mē 

: marriage within a specific group as required by custom or law

endogamous

en-ˈdä-gə-məs 

adjective

Did you know?

Marriage within a specific group as required by custom or law is known as endogamy. In endogamous groups, marriage outside one’s group may be forbidden, or there may merely be a tendency to marry within the group. Endogamy is characteristic of aristocracies and religious and ethnic minorities in industrialized societies but also of the caste system in India and of class-conscious non-literate societies such as the Masai of eastern Africa.

Examples of endogamy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Second, there is the issue of the rise of Islam, and the crystallization of broad confessional communities which exhibit endogamy. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 4 Mar. 2013

In India, the business of parents seeking brides and grooms for their children is a cruel and cutthroat one, having originated as a way to preserve caste endogamy. —Iva Dixit, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2023

But Ashkenazi Jews also exhibit their own genetic distinctiveness, probably due to long term endogamy. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2012

But like the Romani speaking populations this may be a special case where relatively strong endogamy has also generated a unique genetic profile which is distinctive from their neighbors and their ancestors. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 22 Feb. 2010

If endogamy is how caste gets reproduced, their exit from India and new lives in the West Indies signaled a functional annihilation of caste. —Gaiutra Bahadur, The New Republic, 25 Nov. 2020

Just like the Kalash-cluster this is to a great extent a feature of the long term endogamy of these communities. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2012

The extreme long branches leading to the Kalash and Mozabites are almost certainly a function of endogamy and inbreeding. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 18 Feb. 2012

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

endogamy

noun

en·​dog·​a·​my en-ˈdäg-ə-mē 

plural endogamies

: marriage within a specific group as required by custom or law

endogamous

-məs 

adjective