levirate
/ˈlɛvɪɹət/adjective, noun
levirate is spelled L-E-V-I-R-A-T-E: 8 letters. It appears about once in every 37 million words in written English, the 187,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, levirate means “Having to do with one's husband's brother” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in levirate?
| Letters | 8: L-E-V-I-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 37 million words; the 187,122nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is levirate?
Levirate appears about once in every 37 million words in written English, the 187,122nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce levirate?
- /ˈlɛvɪɹət/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with levirate?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as levirate.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: relative.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of levirate
- levirates plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does levirate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having to do with one's husband's brother.
noun
- 1
A marriage between a widow and her deceased husband's brother or, sometimes, heir.
- 2
The institution of levirate marriage.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Levirate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | schwager-, levirats- , Schwagerheirat, Levirat , Schwagerehe, Leviratsehe |
| French | lévirat |
| Portuguese | levirato |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does levirate come from?
From Latin lēvir (“husband's brother, brother-in-law”) + -ate (adjective-forming suffix), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dayh₂wḗr (“one's brother-in-law”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).