legal jointure
- noun
- /ˈliːgəl ˈdʒɔɪntʃər/
- Archaic
:
jointura legal
- Under the marriage contract, a legal jointure was settled upon her for life.
Examples
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The legal jointure ensured that the widow would have sufficient income after her husband's death.
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In historical England, women often relied on a legal jointure rather than a dower for security.
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A legal jointure ensures financial security for the wife.
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Many couples consider a legal jointure before marriage.
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In historical England, women often relied on a legal jointure rather than a dower for security.
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The legal jointure ensured that the widow would have sufficient income after her husband's death.
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Under the marriage contract, a legal jointure was settled upon her for life.
Synonyms
1
9.9
Property given to a wife to live on after her husband's death
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'jointure' denotes an estate granted to a widow, and 'legal' simply specifies that this is a law-related or formally sanctioned arrangement, so the combined meaning is directly derivable from the parts. This is a straightforward adjective + noun composition (modifier restricting a noun) and therefore immediately comprehensible to a learner who knows both constituents, even if the term is somewhat technical.
Etymology
Legal jointure comes from old marriage law: before a wedding, a family would join land or money to a woman for her life so she would have income if her husband died. That's why it means 'an agreed gift of land or money to give a wife support if she becomes a widow'.