Meanings
- uncountableAn equal division of property among the sons.
In the North, multigeniture helped motivate family labor, whereas the passive acceptance of the British inheritance system of primogeniture in the South rested on its promotion of large plantations that could capture economies of scale.
1984, Lee J. Alston, Morton Owen Schapiro, Inheritance Laws Across Colonies: Causes and Consequences, The Journal of Economic History Vol. 44, No. 2, The Tasks of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, pages 277–2871 more example
In the Middle and New England colonies (except in Rhode Island and New York), multigeniture was typically followed, with an equal division of property among the sons. Over time, primogeniture perpetuated and built comparatively larger estates.
2010, Gary Walton, History of the American Economy, 11e, South-Western, Cengage Learning, page 33
Cite this entry
multigeniture. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multigeniture
“multigeniture.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multigeniture. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “multigeniture,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/multigeniture.
Source: multigeniture on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.