English
agamy
Agamy comes from Ancient Greek ἄγαμος ‘unmarried, single (of men)’, from γάμος ‘marriage, wedding, bridelock’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵem- ‘to marry’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵem-‘to marry’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγάμος‘marriage, wedding, bridelock’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἄγαμοςágamos‘unmarried, single (of men)’
- Englishearliest quotation 2012agamy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵem-‘to marry’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEγάμος‘marriage, wedding, bridelock’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἄγαμοςágamos‘unmarried, single (of men)’
- Englishearliest quotation 2012agamy
Earliest quotation: 2012, David Oconner, Cichlid Fish: The Fascinationg World of Cichlid Care: “Cichlids exhibit monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, and agamy. […] In…”
Formed from a ‘not’ + gamy ‘marriage’
Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos ‘one’
Proto-Germanic *ainaz ‘one’
Proto-West Germanic *ain ‘one’
Old English ān ‘one; a certain’
Middle English a
English a
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ǵem- ‘to marry’
through Ancient Greek γάμος ‘marriage, wedding, bridelock’
Today it means
noun Absence or nonrecognition of marriage, or absence of a pair bond.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵem- / agamy