“bigamy” and “digamy”

Question

bi‑ from Latin with the meaning of two.
di‑ is the Greek counterpart of bi‑, with the same meaning of two.

Are bigamy and digamy words with the same meaning. If not, why?

Related: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/57600/prefix-di-and-bi?rq=1 — , Sep 02 '12 at 20:07

score 8 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 02 '12 at 18:37

8

Digamy was once used synonymously with bigamy, but now, if it is used at all, it means a second marriage, or re-marriage after the death of the first spouse.

answered Sep 02 '12 at 18:37

Barrie England

140,205

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 02 '12 at 20:10

Bigamy ordinarily refers to “The state of having two (legal or illegal) spouses simultaneously”, but in an ecclesiastical context may mean “a second marriage”.

Digamy also refers to second marriages, but “as after the death or divorce of a spouse”. The term deuterogamy is slightly more specific: “A second marriage, after the death of the first husband [or] wife; in distinction from bigamy, as defined in the old canon law”.

“bigamy” and “digamy”

2 Answers2