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Acknowledging that most civil law now permits legitimization after the fact, some jurisdictions still discriminate against a child born out of wedlock.—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026 Born out of wedlock to a teenage mom, growing up under the oppressive cloud of segregation, confined to schools, sports facilities, movie theaters that were separate and unequal.—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026 The latter Redfellow is targeting the seven Redfellows who stand in the way of the $28 billion family fortune that he and his late mother were denied after he was born out of wedlock.—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026 American cities went into decay, rising crime rates, rising divorce rates, more kids born out of wedlock.—David Frum, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wedlock
Word History
Etymology
Middle English wedlok, from Old English wedlāc marriage bond, from wedd pledge + -lāc, suffix denoting activity