palimony

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noun

A form of alimony paid to a former partner in a nonmarital relationship.

Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounpalimony (uncountable)
  1. uncountablelawA form of alimony paid to a former partner in a nonmarital relationship.

    Audball's latest pickup didn't seem to care where they were, or anything at all about alimony, palimony, or child support […]

    2002, James A. Abrahamson, Confessions of a Diplomatic Pouch Clerk, page 192
    1 more example

    Who won, huh? Nobody. Used to be sex was the only free thing, No longer. Alimony… palimony… it's all financial. Love is an illusion.

    1985, Joel Schumacher, Carl Kurlander, St. Elmo's Fire (motion picture), spoken by Kevin Dolenz (Andrew McCarthy)

Origin

Blend of pal (“close friend”) + alimony (“maintenance”). Coined by celebrity divorce lawyer Marvin Mitchelson in 1977 in suit of his client Michelle Triola Marvin against the actor Lee Marvin.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

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Cite this entry
APA

palimony. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palimony

MLA

“palimony.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palimony. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “palimony,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/palimony.

Source: palimony on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.