Levirate
Pronunciation : Lev"i*rate, Lev`i*rat"ic*al
Part of Speech : a.
Etymology : [L. levir a husband's brother, brother-in-law; akin to Gr. l?virat leviration.]
Definition : Defn: Of, pertaining to, or in accordance with, a law of the ancient Israelites and other tribes and races, according to which a woman, whose husband died without issue, was married to the husband's brother. The firstborn son of a leviratical marriage was reckoned and registered as the son of the deceased brother. Alford.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913