n.
Pronunciation: ' le-v ə -r ə t, ' l ē -, - ˌ r ā t
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin levir husband's brother; akin to Old English t ā cor husband's brother, Greek da ē r
Date: 1725
: the sometimes compulsory marriage of a widow to a brother of her deceased husband
– le · vi · rat · ic \ ˌ le-v ə - ' ra-tik, ˌ l ē - \ adjective