morganatic

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The Word of the Day for October 2 is:=20

morganatic   \mor-guh-NAT-ik\   adjective
     : of, relating to, or being a marriage between a member of a royal =
or noble family and a person of inferior rank in which the rank of the i=
nferior partner remains unchanged and the children of the marriage do no=
t succeed to the titles, fiefs, or entailed property of the parent of hi=
gher rank

Example sentence:
          The king=E2=80=99s son, the child of a morganatic marriage, wi=
ll never rule.

Did you know?
          Although the deprivations imposed on the lower-ranking spouse =
by a morganatic marriage may seem like a royal pain in the neck, the wor=
d "morganatic" actually comes from a word for a marriage benefit. The Ne=
w Latin term "morganatica" means "morning gift" and refers to a gift tha=
t a new husband traditionally gave to his bride on the morning after the=
 marriage. So why was the New Latin phrase "matrimonium ad morganaticam,=
" which means literally "marriage with morning gift," the term for a mor=
ganatic marriage? Because it was just that -- the wife got the morning g=
ift, but that=E2=80=99s all she was entitled to of her husband=E2=80=99s=
 possessions.





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