Wedlock is the state of being married. When two people join together in wedlock, they're entering into marriage.

You'll most often see wedlock used in formal or traditional contexts. A minister might speak about “joining together in holy wedlock” during a wedding ceremony. Legal documents sometimes use the phrase “born in wedlock” to mean a child whose parents were married when the child was born, or “born out of wedlock” for a child whose parents weren't married. These phrases once carried strong social meaning, though today they're mostly legal terms.

The word has an old-fashioned feeling to it. In everyday conversation, people usually just say “married” or “marriage” rather than wedlock. But understanding wedlock helps you recognize it in older books, formal ceremonies, and historical documents where it appears.