wedlock

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: wed=lock

CIDE DICTIONARY

wedlock, n. [AS. wedlāc a pledge, be trothal; wedd a pledge + lāc a gift, an offering. See Wed, n., and cf. Lake, v. i., Knowledge.].

•  The ceremony, or the state, of marriage; matrimony.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

  "For what is wedlock forced but a hell,
  An age of discord or continual strife?"  [1913 Webster]
•  A wife; a married woman.  B. Jonson.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- See Marriage.

wedlock, v. t. 

 To marry; to unite in marriage; to wed.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

wedlock, n. the married state.

Idiom

born in (or out of) wedlock born of married (or unmarried) parents.

Etymology

OE wedlac marriage vow f. wed pledge (rel. to WED) + -lac suffix denoting action

THESAURUS

wedlock

a world-without-end bargain, alliance, bed, bond of matrimony, bridebed, cohabitation, conjugal bond, conjugal knot, coverture, holy matrimony, holy wedlock, husbandhood, ill-assorted marriage, intermarriage, interracial marriage, marriage, marriage bed, marriage sacrament, match, matrimonial union, matrimony, mesalliance, misalliance, miscegenation, mixed marriage, nuptial bond, sacrament of matrimony, spousehood, union, wedded bliss, wedded state, weddedness, wedding knot, wifehood

ROGET THESAURUS

wedlock

Marriage

N marriage, matrimony, wedlock, union, intermarriage, miscegenation, the bonds of marriage, vinculum matrimonii, nuptial tie, married state, coverture, bed, cohabitation, match, betrothment, wedding, nuptials, Hymen, bridal, espousals, spousals, leading to the altar, nuptial benediction, epithalamium, sealing, torch of Hymen, temple of Hymen, hymeneal altar, honeymoon, bridesmaid, bridesman, best man, bride, bridegroom, married man, married woman, married couple, neogamist, Benedict, partner, spouse, mate, yokemate, husband, man, consort, baron, old man, good man, wife of one's bosom, helpmate, rib, better half, gray mare, old woman, old lady, good wife, goodwife, feme, feme coverte, squaw, lady, matron, matronage, matronhood, man and wife, wedded pair, Darby and Joan, spiritual wife, monogamy, bigamy, digamy, deuterogamy, trigamy, polygamy, mormonism, levirate, spiritual wifery, spiritual wifeism, polyandrism, Turk, bluebeard, unlawful marriage, left-handed marriage, morganatic marriage, ill- assorted marriage, mesalliance, mariage de convenance, marriage broker, matrimonial agency, matrimonial agent, matrimonial bureau, matchmaker, schatchen, married, one, one bone and one flesh, marriageable, nubile, engaged, betrothed, affianced, matrimonial, marital, conjugal, connubial, wedded, nuptial, hymeneal, spousal, bridal, the gray mare the better horse, a world-without-end bargain, marriages are made in Heaven, render me worthy of this noble wife, si qua voles apte nubere nube pari.