Exogamy

noun (uncountable)

/ɛkˈsɒɡəmi/

The social rule or practice of marrying outside one's own social group — clan, gotra, village, or caste sub-division. Exogamy is a defining feature of the Hindu kinship system, particularly in North India, where marriage within the same gotra (patrilineal clan) is prohibited. It contrasts with endogamy (marriage within the group) and is enforced through social sanctions including khap panchayat decrees, though the Supreme Court has repeatedly held such restrictions unconstitutional when coercive.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The constitutional validity of gotra-based exogamy norms was sharply tested in Shakti Vahini v. Union of India (2018), where the Supreme Court upheld the right to choose a marriage partner as a fundamental right under Article 21.

Synonyms

outmarriageoutbreedingcross-clan marriageheterogamy (partial)

Antonyms

endogamyinmarriageconsanguineous marriagegotra endogamy

🌱 Word Family

exogamous (adjective), exogamic (adjective), exogamist (noun, rare)

🔡 Root

Greek exo- = outside + gamos = marriage; literally 'outside marriage'

📜 Etymology

Coined in 1865 by Scottish anthropologist John Ferguson McLennan in his work Primitive Marriage, where he used exogamy and endogamy as technical terms for the two opposing marriage rules he observed across cultures. Derived from Greek exo- (outside) and gamos (marriage, from gamein = to marry). The term was swiftly adopted by Lewis Henry Morgan and other Victorian anthropologists studying kinship systems.

🧠 Memory Hook

EXO = outside (like 'exit' or 'exotic'). EXOgamy = marrying EXOtic — outside your own group. Think: EXOgamy is EXITing your group for marriage. Its opposite ENDOgamy = ENDing up marrying INside your group.

👥 Society 📖 Seen in: Salient Features of Indian Society — D...

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