wedlock
n.the state of being married. It is an old-fashioned word that people use when they want to sound very formal or serious about marriage.
n.the state of being married. Often used in formal or literary contexts to describe the legal or social status of a married couple.
“The couple entered into wedlock after a long engagement.”
“The ceremony was a private affair, with only close family witnesses present to mark their entry into wedlock.”
“While the legal aspects of their union were settled quickly, the social implications of entering into wedlock required a much more delicate negotiation of their respective families' expectations.”
From Middle English wedlok, wedlocke (“wedlock, marriage, matrimony”), from Old English wedlāc (“marriage vow, pledge, plighted troth, wedlock”). By surface analysis, wed + -lock.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.