Definition of "morganatic" [mor•ga•nat•ic]

• Of or being a legal marriage between a person of royal or noble birth and a partner of lower rank, in which it is agreed that no titles or estates of the royal or noble partner are to be shared by the partner of inferior rank nor by any of the offspring of the marriage. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Is not this a sufficient explanation of the term morganatic being applied to marriages where the parties are of unequal rank?"
• "There is talk of something called a morganatic marriage, which would be sort of a half marriage, using one of his titles."
• "When a prince or a member of a ruling house weds a woman of inferior rank, especially if her family is plebeian, the marriage is generally known as a morganatic marriage."