Standard Lemma guide

palimony

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P AE1 L IH0 M OW2 N IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

support paid by one half of an unmarried partnership after the relationship ends

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: support payment

History

Etymology

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.