civil marriage
5
3.2
- noun
- /ˈsɪvəl ˈmɛrɪdʒ/
:
matrimonio civil
- Israel does not recognize civil marriage.
- legalize civil marriage
- valid civil marriage
Examples
-
President Elias Hrawi first proposed to legalize civil marriage in Lebanon on 22 November 1996, Lebanon's Independence Day.
Academic text (2003) -
Both state and federal courts have determined that civil marriage is a civil right.
Blog text (28) -
Here in Canada, we consider civil marriage a contract between the people concerned.
Blog text (18) -
People have been able to obtain a civil marriage for years without a religious ceremony.
Blog text (14) -
Can they enter, at least, into a valid civil marriage?
Academic text (1991) -
In the same year, a change in the law had also permitted civil marriages.
Academic text (1998) -
I am an attorney, licensed by law to perform civil marriage ceremonies in my state.
Blog text (1) -
Same-sex couples must complete counseling before having their unions or civil marriages blessed by the church.
Blog text (11) -
Accordingly, the Court invalidated state laws that excluded same-sex couples from civil marriage on the same terms and conditions as opposite-sex couples.
Academic text (2016) -
Many couples choose to have a civil marriage instead of a religious ceremony.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
The legal joining of two people as life partners
How Official
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'civil' (relating to the state/public law) and 'marriage' (a legally recognized partnership) can readily infer that 'civil marriage' refers to a marriage under civil/state authority rather than a religious ceremony. The construction is compositional and mirrored in many other languages (e.g. 'matrimonio civil', 'mariage civil'), so the meaning is transparent.
Etymology
Civil marriage comes from the word civil, meaning 'of the state' or 'of the citizens', and marriage, meaning the joining of two people. Imagine going to city hall and a government official signing your papers instead of a priest, so it means a marriage done and recorded by the state rather than a 'religious' ceremony.